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- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet leaders of Sudan and Uganda
- Currently, Israel has diplomatic relations with only 39 African Countries.
Israeli government continued its plan to strengthen its ties with African countries as reflected in the recent meetings of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with leaders of Sudan and Uganda. Currently, Israel has diplomatic relations with only 39 African Countries.
The meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of Sudan’s transitional government Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan explored the scope to normalize relations with Sudan. Netanyahu and Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan held their talks in Entebbe, Uganda. Explaining the context of the meeting, with Gen. Burhan, Netanyahu’s office, said that “Sudan is moving in a new and positive direction, and the prime minister expressed his views to the U.S. Secretary of State.” After months of civil unrest to topple the former government of Omar al-Bashir, the current civilian-led transitional government has been trying to overcome political and economic challenges and also to get off the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Netanyahu’s Uganda visit is the fifth in just over three years. At a joint Press conference, Netanyahu told President Museveni that both countries should work towards achieving two things- introducing direct flights between Israel and Uganda and opening diplomatic missions in Jerusalem, and Kampala. Political observers are of the view that Such a move would be considered as a statement of support for Israel’s claim for the city of Jerusalem to be its capital, which will be a political win for Netanyahu who is facing the national election on March 2, next month. Museveni responded to the offer positively and agreed to study the possibility. Currently, Israel’s embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, handles its relations with Uganda.
It may be recalled that Uganda’s Entebbe airport witnessed in 1976 a sensational rescue operation by Israeli commandos to save nearly 100 mostly Israeli passengers on board an Air France airliner hijacked by Palestinian and German militants. Netanyahu lost his elder brother Yonatan, a commander in the operation in the rescue operation.
