Africa Sees Zion as a World Power. Netanyahu's Royal Tour of Africa continues. Long Live the King of Zion

Netanyahu: Africa sees Israel as a world power

As his Africa tour continues, PM Benjamin Netanyahu says shift of African attitudes toward Israel could lead to "a strategic change in Israel's international position" • PM: Israel's improved global status will obligate PA to come to negotiating table.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi, Tuesday | Photo credit: Ziv Koren

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is very satisfied with his ongoing visit to Africa. It's palpable. "Israel is seen here as a world power in a number of fields: technology, intelligence, water, agriculture, cyber, and much more," he said.

The prime minister feels that the continent is excited about its renewed love affair with Israel. Maybe not all of it, but the direction is a positive one. There are Muslim African nations like Senegal that prove that contact is possible with more than just Christian countries, and even South Africa is sending out signals that it might be possible to improve relations after Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold visited recently, and the right kind of contact is already underway.

It's worth mentioning that South Africa was the country that led to Israel being removed from the position of observer in the African Union.

Now, when so many countries on the continent are asked that Israel be reinstated, it could very well be that South Africa won't object. "We are seeing the beginnings of movement with South Africa," Gold said Tuesday.

Netanyahu said at a joint press conference Tuesday with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta that "the president of Kenya ... said very clearly that he and his colleagues, whom I met with yesterday, would work to restore Israel as an observer to the African Union. This is very significant from our point of view.

"Africa is a continent of 54 countries. The possibility of changing their direction and their attitude toward Israel would be a strategic change in Israel's international position."

Netanyahu is pleased with Israel's current status in the world. He explained on Tuesday that Israel had a "special status" and that its biggest challenge was to find funding to fulfill its possibilities. Netanyahu said that groups he "never imagined" were "knocking on Israel's door."

Netanyahu explained that when it came to Israel's strategic relations, it had a special anchor -- the United States. Among Israel's close neighbors, there are Egypt and Jordan, and that circle is expanding. Netanyahu called the "Mediterranean alliance with Cyprus and Greece" something that could not be stopped, and noticed that the potential for natural gas exports ran through that same axis. The prime minister stressed that normalization with Turkey was of "great importance" and could be an economic boon.

Netanyahu intends to improve relations with Latin American nations, and already has an invitation from the president of Argentina. He also plans to visit Kazakhstan at the end of the year.

Netanyahu believes that the new approach of expanding Israel's circle of friends will obligate Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to come to the negotiating table, and that eventually all these processes will lead to true reconciliation with the Palestinians, who are currently hoping to secure international pressure on Israel and are evading direct peace talks.

According to Netanyahu, the Palestinians are running to the international arena where they receive "automatic, global" support.

Netanyahu said he was talking about making a move that would leave the Palestinians no alternative but to undertake direct bilateral negotiations, which he said they have refused to do so long as they had an international escape haven.

The prime minister's visit to Kenya on Tuesday and Uganda the day before, where he spoke at a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the Entebbe hostage rescue operation, made waves in the local media. Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper ran a headline that touted Israel's "new African agenda." On Wednesday, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, were scheduled to continue their African tour, making visits to Rwanda and Ethiopia.