On Sunday, President Idriss Déby of Chad arrived in Israel and met with Benjamin Netanyahu; the two later announced the renewal of diplomatic relations between the two countries. While Jerusalem has established ties with numerous African nations in recent years, Chad is the first of these (excepting Egypt, which established ties in Israel in 1978) with a Muslim-majority population. Eldad Beck writes:

Many nations that had fought for their independence from colonial rule saw in Israel and its successful struggle against the British and the Arabs, as well as its agricultural and military achievements, a source of inspiration. Those countries sought to learn from Israel and worked to develop close ties with Jerusalem. . . . From Israel’s perspective, Africa presented an opportunity to break the Arab political and economic blockade imposed on the Jewish state immediately following its establishment.

This love affair continued until the early 1970s, when the Arab states discovered the power of their oil. Under enormous pressure from the Arabs, who promised Africa generous financial aid, many African countries neglected and downgraded Israel ties. In Chad’s case, this pressure proved to be effective prior to the Yom Kippur War, when many African countries cut diplomatic ties with Israel. . . .

Renewed diplomatic ties had been on the table a decade ago, but were removed from the agenda as a result of pressure from Chad’s anti-Israel Arab neighbors Libya and Sudan. This process, so important to the future of Israel’s ties with Muslim Africa, was made possible thanks to the fall of the Ghaddafi regime and Libya’s decline in that country’s civil war, as well as the slow transformation of the Sudanese regime into a more moderate government under the influence of, inter alia, Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states.

It is quite possible that once Chad restores its relations with Israel, other Muslim-majority countries in Africa will follow. . . . The recent improvement in Israel’s international standing, completely detached from the lack of progress on any “peace process,” has gotten [the continent’s] attention. As has always been the case, Israel has a lot to offer to Africa, and Africa has a lot to offer to Israel in return.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.