Israel is an essential ally to Africa

Israel is no mere observer of Africa, but an important ally, partner and friend connected by the land bridge of the Sinai Peninsula to the African continent that for thousands of years has linked the African and Jewish people. History intertwines the people of Africa with the Abrahamic faiths that trace back to Zion and the Land of Israel, and thus the connection is both physical and spiritual.

The modern state of Israel is the only nation in history that has delivered people of Africa from slavery to freedom. This stands in contrast to so many others who have cruelly exploited the African people, plundered their land and resources and, in some cases, still do today.

When Israel was revived as a modern Jewish state in 1948, it did not forget this shared history. In the 1950s, then-Foreign Minister Golda Meir wanted Israel – a fledgling state less than a decade old – to offer African countries a helping hand as they discarded the shackles of colonialism. Theodor Herzl, the father of modern political Zionism, was deeply sympathetic to the plight of the African people and the need for Jews to help them once they themselves became liberated from persecution, and Meir was determined to bring his sentiment to fruition. She saw the compelling need for Israel to provide assistance to these newly independent nations even though the new Jewish state was struggling to help itself.

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