Africa should not abandon Palestine by granting Israel AU observer standing – Center East Monitor

The present break up within the African Union (AU) over Israel’s observer standing throughout the organisation is emblematic of a bigger battle that has the potential to separate the continent’s largest political establishments. Africa is presently dealing with one in all its most important choices concerning Palestine and Israel, the repercussions of which could possibly be as vital because the 1975 Resolution 77 (XII) adopted by the Organisation of African Unity – the precursor of the African Union – which recognised Israel’s founding ideology, Zionism, as a type of racism. This time round, nonetheless, it’s Palestine, not Israel, that stands to lose out.

Israel’s try to achieve observer standing on the AU started years in the past. For many years, most African nations had severed all ties with Israel in solidarity with Palestine and different Arab nations. The African boycott, which began in earnest in 1973, faltered quickly after the Palestinian management itself signed a collection of agreements with Israel, beginning with the 1993 Oslo Accords. Seeing Palestinians and different Arab nations “doing enterprise” with Israel, some African nations felt that their solidarity was now not serving a selected goal, and they also revived their diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv.

Since then, Israel has labored diligently to strengthen its presence in Africa. It’s presently recognised by 46 of the 55 members of the AU. Moreover, it has 17 embassies and 12 consulates throughout the continent. A few of Israel’s newest diplomatic triumphs embrace the cementing of ties with Chad in 2019, and Morocco and Sudan in 2020; all three are Muslim-majority nations.

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With Israel’s successes in thoughts, there may be little proof to counsel that the Palestinian Authority has ever mounted a considerable and coordinated counter-campaign in Africa to win again the help of a continent that served because the spine of worldwide solidarity with the Palestinian individuals for a few years. This solidarity is exemplified in numerous statements by previous African leaders, reminiscent of Tanzania’s nationwide liberation chief, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, who said, “We now have by no means hesitated in our help for the correct of the individuals of Palestine to have their very own land.” This was reiterated by quite a few African leaders on numerous events over time.

Africa’s solidarity with Palestine was itself predicated on Palestinian and Arab solidarity with Africa. Traditionally, Palestinians noticed their liberation battle throughout the similar context as Africa’s personal liberation struggles towards Western colonialism. This explains the wording of the above-mentioned Resolution 77 (XII), which equated “the racist regime in occupied Palestine” with “the racist regimes in Zimbabwe and South Africa” as they had been all grounded in the identical “widespread imperialist origin… (and are) organically linked of their coverage geared toward repression of the dignity and integrity of the human being.”

A lot of this has modified lately, not solely on the a part of many African nations, however on the a part of the Palestinians as effectively. A renewed “scramble for Africa“, championed by the US and different Western nations, in addition to Russia, China and Israel, is forcing many within the continent to pursue “pragmatic” insurance policies as they abandon the outdated discourse of liberation and decolonisation in favour of grandiose rhetoric about “technological innovation” with a self-serving emphasis on “combating terrorism”. Thus, with Israel posing as a “rising superpower”, many African nations are lining as much as purchase Israeli unmanned drones, and digital monitoring and surveillance technology.

Nevertheless, the Palestinian management has additionally modified. With continued “safety coordination” between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, Palestinians are sending complicated messages to their former allies in Africa and elsewhere. Therefore, we noticed PA Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh telling the AU Summit on 5 February, “Based mostly in your acknowledged historic positions and your help for the Palestinian proper… we name for the withdrawal and objection of Israel’s observer standing on the African Union.” Such contradictions have emboldened the likes of Moussa Faki Mahamat who, because the Chairman of the AU Fee, determined to take it upon himself to grant Israel observer standing final July.

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African nations that opposed Faki’s choice argued at this month’s summit that the choice was illegal and that it didn’t replicate the collective needs of African states. Faki prompt that such a view mirrored the “double requirements” at play. “Is the mentioned State — referring to Israel — (acceptable) on the nationwide stage, whereas it can’t be (accepted) on the African stage? Frankly, I would love somebody to clarify this type of double customary to me,” said Faki on 7 February.

In reality, he had his personal causes to grant Israel the coveted standing. The AU Fee Chairperson was Chad’s International Minister till 2017. Though Chad didn’t declare its diplomatic ties with Israel till 2019, the central African nation’s prime diplomat will need to have performed a major function in paving the best way for the N’Djamena-Tel Aviv official relationship.

Faki might have calculated that Israel’s diplomatic triumph in his and different African nations lately has meant that Africa is able to embrace the occupation state unconditionally, and that a long time of Africa-Palestine mutual solidarity is not going to be an element within the AU choice. The February summit, nonetheless, has demonstrated in any other case, particularly that Africa has not but succumbed to Western-Israeli pressures and that Palestine continues to command a robust political constituency on the continent, regardless of the various shortcomings of the Palestinian management.

The strong help that Palestine enjoys amongst an influential block on the AU, along with the favored help that the Palestinian trigger continues to obtain throughout Africa, signifies that, regardless of the errors of the previous, it stays a central situation on the continent. Nevertheless, to ensure that Israel to not crown its diplomatic triumphs in Africa with AU observer standing, Palestinians and their supporters should transfer shortly to formulate a counter-strategy. They should work hand in hand with African governments that reject the Israeli membership and mobilise the quite a few civil society organisations to ship a robust, collective message to Israel that it’s not welcome in Africa. A area that has paid, and continues to pay, a heavy worth for colonialism, neo-colonialism and apartheid has no have to “do enterprise” with another colonial apartheid regime.

The views expressed on this article belong to the creator and don’t essentially replicate the editorial coverage of Center East Monitor.