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.
Read more on Israel Hayom: http://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/a-new-day-for-israel-africa-ties/