While we discussed with activist @mariamtheugandan (IG) why Africans need to show solidarity with Palestinians, Israel’s role in Africa came up. Its involvement in Africa has historically aligned with colonial and imperialist interests. For example, early Zi*nist leaders considered settling in East Africa, specifically Uganda and Kenya, before choosing Palestine, a decision driven by strategy rather than religion, as @ahmedkaballo (X) argued. Their correspondence with colonial figures like Britain’s Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) highlighted their expansionist mindset, viewing their movement as part of a broader colonial project.
In modern times, Israel’s fingerprints have been all over African arms deals and resource exploitation, and it has been muddying geopolitical waters throughout the continent. Israel reportedly supplied weapons during the Rwandan g*nocide, currently loots Congo through businessman Dan Gertler’s control over valuable resources, and has reportedly armed the Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the foreign-backed proxy war raging for almost two years. Israel has also played a divisive role in North Africa, backing Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara despite the African Union’s opposition. Perhaps most notably, Israel maintained strong ties with South Africa’s apartheid regime, reinforcing settler-colonial ideology and supporting Western interests in the region.
Watch the whole conversation on our X or Rumble channels.
Sources
https://fozmuseum.com/blog/jewish-homeland-africa/
http://www.hatembazian.com/books/palestine-it-is-something-colonial/
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/did-israel-arm-rwanda-during-1994-genocide
https://www.newsweek.com/sifting-through-dark-business-131907
https://mondoweiss.net/2013/12/alliance-relationship-apartheid/