Diplomat makes rare visit to Muslim nation with no Israel ties - Shlomo Cesana

by Shlomo Cesana

Foreign Ministry director Dore Gold holds secret meeting in unnamed African country in bid to build diplomatic ties • Meeting comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's highly publicized trip to Africa • Netanyahu to return to Africa by year's end.

Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold meets with Guinean President Alpha Conde | Photo credit: Foreign Ministry

Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold on Monday made a rare visit to a Muslim country in Africa with no official diplomatic ties with Israel. During the visit, he met with senior government officials in efforts to build diplomatic relations.

The secret meeting occurred a month after Gold visited Chad, an African country with which Israel also has no diplomatic ties. Official ties are expected between Israel and both Chad and the unnamed country.

Although the country's name has not been released for publication, the visit was part of a highly publicized trip to Guinea, where Gold met with President Alpha Conde and 10 of his government's ministers, including the foreign, defense, finance, and development ministers. The visit to Guinea comes after Israel and Guinea renewed diplomatic relations that were severed 49 years ago.

Gold joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also currently serving as foreign minister, in his voyage across Africa in June. Netanyahu visited four countries in East Africa, conducting a summit in Uganda with leaders from seven different African countries. 

Netanyahu is expected to return to Africa by the end of 2016 to meet with leaders of 15 West African states. Netanyahu remarked recently that he would like to sway the members of the Economic Community of West African States to abandon their automatic voting pattern at the U.N. in favor of the Palestinians and against Israel. 

In a meeting between Netanyahu and Togo President Faure Gnassingbe in Jerusalem on August 10, Netanyahu said, "Africa is very important to us. We have a great relationship, a great friendship. And we are seeking to intensify our cooperation and our friendship. ... I think the sky is the limit in all areas, I mean: water, agriculture, technology, health, education, tourism, security and every other field.” 

Netanyahu also expressed his vision for a "great return to Africa. I think it's long overdue. And it's important for the countries of Africa and for Israel."

Netanyahu is also set to visit Holland in the beginning of September and New York at the end of the month to participate in the U.N. General Assembly meeting. 

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said he was working with international aid groups who work in the Gaza Strip to put in place regulations and supervision to prevent money from being transferred to Hamas by these organizations. "Money from the Western world is being used to build terror tunnels against Israel," he said.

Shlomo Cesana

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=35903

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.