Africa between supporting Israel and supporting the “Al-Aqsa Flood”

Written by: Atta Al-Mannan Bakhit

The general position of sub-Sahara African countries clearly tends to support the Palestinian cause, and this is due to several reasons, the most important of which are: The occupation under which the Palestinian people have lived, since 1948, recalls in the African collective memory the state of long colonialism that the African peoples experienced. However, African support for Palestinian rights often ebbs and flows according to the international situation and intersections of interests.
The year 1973 is considered a turning point in the relationship of Sub-Saharan African countries with the Palestinian issue, as most of them severed diplomatic relations with the Zionist entity state after the historic October War. But Israel continued to draw closer to restore its relations again, and these efforts bore fruit clearly after the signing of the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel in 1978, which opened the door once again for Israel to penetrate the African continent, and then the field was opened for it to a greater extent after the 1993 Oslo Accords with the Palestinian National Authority. The African countries felt that those involved in the issue had reconciled with Israel, so why should they not lift a finger?
As a result of these developments – and the pressure of the United States of America and the West on African countries – the door was wide open for Israel to return to the African continent, and today there are 44 African countries that recognize Israel out of a total of 54 countries on the continent, while more than 30 African countries have established full diplomatic relations and exchanged ambassadors with Israel.
However, Israel did not succeed in winning the love of African countries, as it wanted, as there remained a solid bloc opposed to Israeli expansion on the continent and its inclusive institutions. This was clearly evident when Israel lost the battle to obtain observer member status in the African Union, and the bloc led by South Africa and Algeria was able to achieve a major diplomatic victory, when the majority of African countries refused to grant Israel observer member status in the African Union at the 2022 summit.

Official reaction
Most African countries reacted to the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, and positions varied between full support for the resistance, as is the case in the Republic of South Africa, and siding with Israel, as in the position of the Republic of Togo.
The African Union issued a statement stressing the need to return to the negotiating table to end the conflict between Israel and the “Hamas” movement, and called on by the Chairman of the Commission, Moussa Faki, to return to the negotiating table without preconditions,in order to reach a final solution by establishing two states living side by side.
As for the Republic of Kenya, its position was biased towards Israel, as its Foreign Minister stated: Kenya strongly condemns the treacherous attack, as he put it, and expressed his regret for the deaths and injuries resulting from the attack, and did not address the massacres that the Palestinian people are being subjected to in Gaza, while he said Kenyan President William Ruto: Nothing justifies terrorism. “Togo strongly condemns the attack launched by the Hamas movement against civilians, and demanded the release of the hostages.” Said The Republic of Togo followed the same approach.
On the other hand, the Republic of South Africa adopted a strong position in support of the resistance, calling for a cessation of hostilities, and clearly stated: The escalation of tension is the result of the continued illegal occupation of Palestinian lands, the continued expansion of settlements, in addition to Israel’s continued storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the desecration of Islamic and Christian sanctities, in addition to the ongoing brutal oppression to which the Palestinians are subjected.
Popular support for the Palestinian resistance in West African countries is greater than in the countries of the South and East due to the wide range of freedoms there compared to the rest of the continent, and the relative density of Muslims and the multiplicity of Islamic movements there.
The ruling African National Congress party issued a statement in which it said: What the Hamas militants did was not a sudden act, but came as a result of the continued occupation. It stressed that what is happening in occupied Palestine is reminiscent of the history of apartheid in South Africa.
The Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing its concern about what is happening in Gaza, and requested, in its capacity as Chair of the Palestinian Rights Committee at the United Nations, the necessity of reviving negotiations between the two parties as soon as possible to achieve the establishment of two independent states. In Nigeria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for restraint, reducing tension, a ceasefire, and sitting at the negotiating table to search for a peaceful solution. The government there also evacuated more than three hundred of its Christian nationals who were on a religious trip to visit Al-Aqsa and Christian landmarks in Palestine. It is worth noting here that Nigeria is very interested in the developments of the conflict in Palestine, its potential economic effects, and its impact on the global energy market, as the largest African oil exporting country.
It is noted from reviewing the positions of African countries regarding the battle of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” that there are two trends struggling within the continent regarding this historical conflict, as South Africa, Nigeria, and Senegal – among many other countries – adopt a position that supports the resistance, and call for a cessation of fighting and dialogue to implement the solution of establishing two independent states. While we find other countries that support the Israeli position, led by Kenya, Togo, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Popular reaction
Popular reactions to the “Al-Aqsa Flood” were very broad, and resulted in significant African popular support for the resistance, and the manifestations of popular expression varied from massive demonstrations in the streets, as is the case in South Africa, Nigeria, and Senegal, to sermons in mosques and discussion groups in universities, to press articles and debates across the African continent.
Free media and the multiplicity of media platforms on the continent have contributed to directly enlightening public opinion about the grave violations committed by the Israeli military machine on a daily basis against the defenseless people of Gaza, and they are appalled by the scenes of blood, remains of human limbs, the mass death of children and women, and the systematic and brutal destruction of homes on the heads of their occupants. What has strengthened African popular support for the resistance is the West’s complete bias towards Israel and the political, financial and military support provided to it by the United States of America and Western countries in general. This comes at a time when African popular rejection of the policies of colonial countries on the continent is escalating, which is carried by all the catastrophic failures of African regimes since independence. We saw the massive revolution against the French presence in the African Sahel region.
Popular support for the resistance increases more in West African countries than in the countries of the South and East, and this is due to several reasons, including:

• The expansion of democracy and freedoms there.

• The relative density of Muslims and the multiplicity of Islamic movements in that part of the continent.

A number of African civil society leaders expressed their reasons for supporting the resistance. “We have seen how the Zionists act against Christians as well, which confirms that the issue is not only Islamic, but rather an issue of human rights being violated, and this country it is forbidden to live freely.” The head of the Muslim community and former member of parliament in South Africa said. In this context, he defended the right for the resistance to bear arms “The liberation movement in South Africa was forced to bear arms in order to have an impact.” He said.
In the Republic of Senegal, the head of the Senegalese Islamic Gathering, Sheikh Mokhtar Kebbe, called for “a real stand in support of the Palestinian people to obtain all their rights.”
• Former Sudanese diplomat and director of the Africa Center for Studies (Istanbul – Türkiye)
Source: Al Jazeera