Is Israel manufacturing consent for regime change in Eritrea? In a 16 January article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, author Habtom Ghebrezghiabher argues Asmara poses a threat to Israel and the US due to its warm relations with Iran, China and Russia.
The Haaretz article argues that Asmara is an Iranian proxy used to disrupt the maritime routes used by Israel’s allies, citing the detention of a vessel of Azerbaijan, an Israeli ally. The author argues Eritrea and Yemen effectively grant Iran control over both sides of the southern Red Sea. Iranian vessels using Eritrean territorial waters is another sticking point, with the author taking issue that Eritrea accused Israel of violating Eritrean sovereignty when Tel Aviv attacked an Iranian vessel.
Eritrea’s anti-Zi*nist stance has been a headache for Israel. Asmara has consistently voted against Israel at the UN, rejected an Israeli ambassador, opposed Israeli presence in the African Union, downgraded its embassy in Israel, and expressed solidarity with Ansar Allah (colloquially known as the Houthis) attacks against Israeli-linked ships in response to Israeli massacres of Palestinians.
For the US, Eritrea’s China-Russia ties could explain the hostility. China has helped develop Eritrea’s infrastructure, such as in healthcare. Eritrea has also benefited from China cancelling debt and imposing zero tariffs on Eritrean exports to China.
The author also cites Eritrea’s cordial relations with Russia as a point of contention. With Eritrea voting in favour of Russia at the UN during a 2022 vote on withdrawing Russian forces from Ukraine, and recent high-level visits between officials in the two countries, it makes sense why the West would be increasingly hostile. In 2019, negotiations began for Russia to establish a logistic centre in Eritrea to bolster military and logistical capabilities in the Horn of Africa region. Eritrea is also interested in attracting investment, particularly in the face of Western sanctions against the country.
Sources
News, fearmongering Iran
https://archive.ph/SHTZP
Eritrea China ties
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2001/06/18/china-cancels-debt
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202305/16/WS6462ee66a310b6054fad3354.html
https://research.hktdc.com/en/article/MTE0NTk2NTMyOQ
Eritrea Russia ties
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/06/02/the-strategic-partnership-between-eritrea-and-russia
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2024-08-13-russia-eritrea-to-continue-developing-economic-humanitarian-cooperation-moscow-says