14
Friday, July 5, 1985
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Israel's relationship with the Third World
has moved to a crucial third stage — from
close ties in the 1960's to a post-Yom Kip-
pur War boycott by the Black African
states to a gradual warming again over the
last five years. Now there is hope of a
major diplomatic breakthrough in the
coming months.
This conclusion is based on a recent two-
week visit to three West African countries
— Liberia, Ivory Coast and Cameroon —
as part of a seven-member American
Jewish good-will delegation under the
auspices of the Anti-Defamation League
of B'nai B'rith.
At present only Liberia, of the three
states visited, has full diplomatic relations
with Israel, renewed two years ago. But
Israel maintains unofficial diplomatic con-
A RAY OF
LIGHT FROM
THE DARK
CONTINENT
tact through Israeli "special interest
officers" working out of the Belgian em-
bassies in both 'Cameroon and the Ivory
Coast. Similar economic and diplomatic
ties exist between Israel and Kenya,
Ghana and Togo.
Several of these states have expressed
a strong interest in renewing full diplo-
matic ties with Israel, but admit to fear-
ing Libyan Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's
threat to eliminate any African leader who
does so. One of Israel's goals is to assuage
these fears by bolstering local security
within the African capitals. Another is to
coordinate the timing of renewed diplo-
matic relations so that as many as six
African states might announce a joint
decision to establish embassies with
Israel.
It is a priority for us to work with these
A first-hand report on Israel's efforts
to improve relations with
Black African countries.
BY GARY ROSENBLATT AND LENI REISS
countries because of the humanitarian and
economic aspects, and because it is vitally
important for Israel to have as many
friends in the political world as possible,"
explained a high Israeli official involved
with the African effort.
Israel now has full diplomatic relations
with six members of the Organization of
African Unity (OAU): Liberia, Lesotho,
Malawi, Swaziland, Zaire and Egypt, and
has "contacts" with another 15 of the 51
CAPE
VERDE .•
DAKAI?
GAMBIA
BANJUL
BISSAU
GUINEA BISSAU
CONAKRY
FREETOWN
SIERRA LEONE
OAU states.
Israel is popular
MONROVIA
LIBERI
1 4.1P
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0
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9
SAO TOME & PRINCIPE
Our travels took us to the
West Coast of Africa,
arriving first in Liberia and
moving east, to Ivory
Coast and then to
Cameroon.
LE
EQUATORIAL
GUINEA
among the peoples of
these African countries. And understand-
ably so. From the late 1950s until 1973,
Israel's program of scientific, agricultural
and technical assistance to developing
nations was a major humanitarian and
diplomatic success. But during the Yom
Kippur War, the African states responded
to Arab pressure by severing all diplo-
matic relations with Jerusalem for alleged-
ly attacking a fellow African state, Egypt.
The Arabs did little to aid the African
states, though, and when Egypt herself
made peace with Israel in 1979, the logic
of the continued boycott was removed.
"After Egypt made peace with Israel,
we found it unnecessary to be more holy
than the Pope," explained Liberian For-
eign Minister Earnest Eastman during a