Pars Today-“As analyzed by The Cradle, Africa faces a new form of fragmentation – no longer through territorial demarcations but through surveillance networks, covert security pacts, and undeclared partnerships. Israel has emerged as a central player in this geopolitical reshaping, methodically embedding itself across Africa’s governance structures, security apparatuses, and economic systems.”

Beneath the façade of development and cooperation, Israel’s African strategy extends its settler-colonial ambitions: weakening historical support for Palestine, securing strategic advantages in a resource-rich region, and mobilizing African nations to serve Western and Zionist interests. While Israeli-African relations were long overlooked, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood thrust them into the spotlight. The resistance operation reshaped regional alliances, exposed longstanding collusion, and revealed Israel’s deepening foothold in Africa. That same year, South Africa launched a landmark case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. This move not only highlighted Pretoria’s solidarity with Palestine but also revived Africa’s legacy of resistance to settler-colonialism—now rekindled as Israel expands its influence.

A Continent of Strategic Value

For decades, Africa has been more than a secondary concern for Israel. Behind the mask of agricultural and humanitarian aid lies a deliberate campaign of political infiltration and covert operations across a continent of 1.4 billion people and 30 million square kilometers. Yet Africa is far from uniform. The diversity of its governments, priorities, and foreign policies means Israel’s approach varies—tailored to each nation’s internal and external dynamics, often accelerated by global power struggles.

A Resurgence of Influence

After the 1948 Nakba, Africa remained under colonial rule, and Israel’s early ties were limited to Ethiopia and Liberia. However, the post-colonial era allowed Tel Aviv to reposition itself, leveraging aid, military training, and security deals. Its influence peaked in the 1960s, only to decline after the 1973 October War, when pan-African support for the Arab cause left Israel recognized by just three African states: Malawi, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Yet Israel never fully retreated. Instead, it adapted—arming separatists in South Sudan, providing intelligence, and embedding itself in the militaries of Zaire, Angola, and Ethiopia. By the 1980s, bolstered by Camp David and Oslo Accords and Arab world divisions, Israel quietly rebuilt its presence, exploiting crises and diplomatic gaps to rebrand as a partner rather than a pariah.

Diplomatic and Security Entrenchment

Today, Israel holds full diplomatic ties with 44 of Africa’s 54 nations, with embassies in key states like Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Angola, and South Africa. It continues pushing for normalization, particularly in Rwanda, Togo, and South Sudan, while deepening military and intelligence cooperation in Nigeria, Kenya, and the Ivory Coast. A notable shift is Israel’s outreach to Muslim-majority African nations, including restored ties with Chad, normalization with Sudan and Morocco, and attempts to rejoin the African Union—a move blocked by Algeria and South Africa. Under the pretext of counterterrorism, Israel has embedded itself in Africa’s security infrastructure. Organizations like MASHAV and the Galilee Institute train African officials, blending development rhetoric with intelligence-gathering. Meanwhile, firms like NSO Group supply spyware such as Pegasus to authoritarian regimes, targeting Palestinian diaspora and Axis of Resistance movements across Africa.

Economic Expansion as a Tool of Control

Israel’s economic ventures in Africa are not merely commercial—they are instruments of dominance. In East Africa, it controls critical sectors like infrastructure, agriculture, and healthcare; in West Africa, it penetrates mining, irrigation, and logistics.This economic push serves multiple goals:

• Breaking international isolation by gaining African legitimacy.
• Strengthening security through Jewish migration and surveillance of resistance movements.
• Securing maritime access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Horn of Africa, and the Red Sea.
• Exploiting resources like diamonds, uranium, and farmland while undermining Arab-African solidarity, particularly in the Nile Basin.

Competition in Africa’s New Great Game

Israel’s expansion faces fierce rivalry in a multipolar scramble:

• Russia is deepening ties in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Eritrea, leveraging military and resource deals.
• China dominates trade ($167.8 billion in early 2024) and infrastructure, with a naval base in Djibouti and mega-projects like Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam.
• The UAE and Gulf states invest in ports and farmland, aligning with Israel post-Abraham Accords to counter Iran and Turkey.
• Turkey has entrenched itself in Somalia via military bases and port projects, while Iran builds influence in the Sahel and North Africa, aligning with its Axis of Resistance.

Africa’s Sovereignty at Stake

Africa has become a geopolitical chessboard where foreign powers vie for dominance. Israel’s multifaceted strategy—diplomatic, military, economic—is not isolated; it intersects with Western, Gulf, and Chinese interests.

Yet this influence remains fragile, dependent on shifting alliances and compliant regimes. African nations are not mere spectators—they are navigating a complex landscape, balancing old loyalties with new opportunities, aware that in this high-stakes game, their sovereignty is the ultimate prize.