Netanyahu's Diplomatic Mission Turns the Tide on Africa's Relationship with Israel : Regional Analysis

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to East Africa in July 2016 was a milestone in African- Middle East relations that surprised with the success of Tel Aviv's objectives. The trip to Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia, in that order, was the result of years of planning and diplomacy. However, given Africa's animosity toward Israel - three of the countries that Netanyahu toured had broken off diplomatic relations with his state for two decades until restoring them in the 1990s - the progress toward closer business, political and security ties was startling.