To Join Abraham Accords, Somaliland Approached UAE-Israel for Africa Center
Ayoob Kara’s Dubai office contains framed photos of him talking with former President Donald Trump and with Pope Francis, and in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These days, Kara, 68, is as focused on Africa as he is on Washington, Rome or Jerusalem.
The Abraham Accords, which debuted in 2020, have “opened new doors for Israel on the continent via the Gulf Arab world,” he told JNS.
In an hour-long conversation on Feb. 14, the former Israeli Knesset member and former communications minister, who has set up the center UAE-Israel for Africa, told JNS that he expected Israeli-African ties to grow. “Our goal is to forge economic and diplomatic ties between Israel, the UAE and Africa,” he said.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Israel forged diplomatic ties with several sub-Saharan African nations. One might have assumed a nascent Israel would have much in common with many African countries—having also got their independence recently. Israel was part of the British mandate of Palestine and many African states were also colonies of Britain or other European powers. They were all building new economic frameworks as their statehood evolved.
By the late 1960s, however, ties deteriorated as the Arab-Israeli conflict escalated. The 1973 Yom Kippur War, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states, signified a souring of relations.
Bending to pressure from both the Arab world and the Soviet Union, which sought to exert global influence in the Cold War, many nations began shifting to more pro-Palestinian stances. Chad followed suit, cutting ties with Israel in 1972.
Not all African countries have Chabad centers or Israeli embassies. Israel’s embassy in Senegal and the Chabad in Congo facilitate Jewish activity in Chad, which has neither an official Israeli nor Jewish institution. Both entities also cover neighboring nations for Jews and Israelis in need.
The Abraham Accords have strengthened ties between Israel and several Arab nations that previously didn’t recognize it, according to Kara. “Many African countries have pre-existing relations with the UAE, one of the signatories of the accords,” he said.
Kara hopes the Gulf nation can build on the success of the accords, and that as one of the region’s top trade hubs, it can serve as a springboard to bolster further diplomatic ventures on the continent.
Historically, Turkey served as a link between Israel, and many Arab and Muslim nations that didn’t recognize Israel. That was particularly the case with trading goods and travel stopovers. “The UAE is now filling more gaps in this regard,” said Kara.
Somaliland, which most countries consider part of Somalia, is also actively pursuing ties with Israel. Neither Somalia nor Somaliland’s Horn of Africa neighbor Djibouti recognizes Israel, so ties between the unrecognized nation of Somaliland and Israel could provide the latter with more access to Africa’s coastlines. And they all have ties with the UAE, where Kara is now based. Somaliland authorities have reached out to Kara regarding this possibility, he told JNS.
“Our country hopes to build ties with Israel. When people think of the Horn of Africa region, the first thing that comes to mind is war and piracy, but Somaliland is in contrast, an emerging, stable region,” Ahmed Muse, director of public relations for the Somaliland finance ministry, told JNS. “We can assist each other in several aspects.”
Kara added that as bilateral ties improve, new opportunities in multiple sectors across the African continent could emerge. He predicted that “one can expect to see more embassies, trade and other exchanges blossoming in the next few years.”