Democratic Palestine : 26 (ص 28)
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- Democratic Palestine : 26 (ص 28)
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Shamir’s Africa Tour
In mid-June, Israeli Prime Minister Shamir toured Africa, visiting
Togo, Cameroon, Liberia and the Ivory Coast. The significance of
his trip exceeds the direct results, for it serves to reinforce Zionist
penetration of Black Africa.
A highlight of Shamir’s tour was the
ceremonies in Togo which restored
relations with the Zionist state earlier
this year. Following in the footsteps of
Zaire, Liberia, the Ivory Coast and
Cameroon, Togo became the fifth to
restore the relations broken off by 29
African states in 1973. Predicting
economic development for African
states in cooperation with ‘Israel’,
Shamir and other Zionist officials
presented this as an achievement for
Israeli diplomacy, and gave the im-
pression that a number of other African
countries are waiting impatiently to
follow suit.
The five states which have restored
diplomatic relations with ‘Israel’ are
among the most reactionary in Africa
and those most linked with world im-
perialism. This explains the desire of
their rulers to have close relations with
the Zionist entity. Moreover, they hope
to benefit from Israeli expertise in the
fields of state security and suppression.
The president of Togo frankly declared
that he wants to benefit from the Israeli
experience in suppressing ‘terrorism’
i.e., any Opposition to the regime.
From the Zionists’ side, Shamir’s
visit was part of the drive to encourage
African states to restore diplomatic
relations with ‘Israel’. (24 African
countries are continuing the diplomatic
boycott begun in 1973.) Shamir’s visit
also aimed to reinforce relations with
the countries visited via economic and
military .contracts, which will en-
courage Zionist business interests to
penetrate these countries. Israeli papers
reported that Zionist businessmen are
planning either to invest their money
directly in the African countries which
have relations with ‘Israel’, or to use
their influence to get US-European
funds for projects in these same coun-
tries.
On the political level, ‘Israel’ aims to
win African states to its side against the
Arabs, convincing the former to adopt
the Zionist point of view on resolving
28
the Arab-Zionist conflict, while
damaging the reputation of the
Palestinian national struggle with false
accusations about the PLO being a ter-
rorist organization. The Israeli reentry
into Africa also aims to supplement
imperialist exploitation and plunder of
the continent by increasing Israeli par-
ticipation in joint projects with the
USA and Western European countries.
At the same time, by expanding their
political and economic presence in
Africa, the Israeli leadership intends to
provide new avenues and cover for the
Mossad’s activities on the continent.
Shamir’s visit also had aims related
to Israeli domestic politics, and the
friction between the Labor and Likud
blocs in the national unity government.
Shamir was accompanied by an en-
tourage of about forty persons in a
clear bid to augment his prestige,
presenting him as a leader who can
make political gains for the Zionist
state, and boost the Likud’s popularity.
This is part of the competition between
the Likud and Labor to gain votes in
the next elections. After all, Peres
rounded off his term as prime minister
by presiding over the restoration of
relations with Cameroon in August
1986, and Shamir needs to deliver
comparable foreign policy results.
Security and military cooperation
between ‘Israel’ and the countries
visited figured most prominently in the
negotiations, followed by economic
relations.
WHAT FACILITATED THE
ISRAELI RETURN?
The restoration of diplomatic rela-
tions by five of the 29 African countries
that broke relations in 1973, does not
grant ‘Israel’ a stable official presence
in Africa, despite the fact that a
number of countries maintain
economic relations in the absence of
diplomatic relations. However, there
are indications that other African
countries will resume diplomatic rela-
tions with the Zionist state in the
future. The Central African Republic,
Guinea, Gabon and Sierra Leone are
being named in this connection. What
then are the reasons for the current
Israeli return to Africa?
First is the Camp David accords
between Egypt and the Zionist state,
which gave African states an avenue
and an excuse for restoring ties with
‘Israel’. This trend was reinforced by
the Moroccan regime’s reception of
Shimon Peres in 1986.
Second is the policy of a number of
African states to try to develop their
countries through linkage with the im-
perialist countries. The countries in
question are ruled by traditional reac-
tionary classes more concerned about
personal enrichment than serving the
cause of the African people’s freedom.
Third is the inability of the Arab
states, whether reactionary or na-
tionalist, to understand the nature of
relations with the African countries.
Relations were limited to financial aid
through the Arab-Bank for Economic
Development in Africa, and secondary
projects which did not seriously help
African countries to surmount their
problems. No special political relations
were established to reinforce the aid
which was exclusively aimed at boycot-
ting ‘Israel’. Relations in the fields of
education, science and journalism were
neglected, despite the fact that Arab
and African countries have a number of
common causes.
Fourth is the role of the US and
Western Europe, especially France, in
pressing African countries to establish
strong relations with ‘Israel’ To this
end, they exploited the difficult
economic conditions and famine
prevailing in some African countries,
and the political instability in others.
The US and France have defended
reactionary regimes in Zaire and Chad,
sending their aid via ‘Israel’ as evidence
of Israeli good intentions. |
As a result, it is increasingly impor-
tant to move quickly to confront the
Zionist penetration of the African con-
tinent. The PLO is called upon to
strengthen relations with the pro-
gressive and democratic African states
and forces. On the other hand, it must
strive for the increasing isolation of
Zionism, by increasing the armed
struggle against its state, ‘Israel’, and
on the international level, by defending
the UN resolution 3379 which branded
Zionism as a form of racism, and con- - هو جزء من
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