The apartheid narrative also has implications for a region whose significance in this conversation cannot be ignored. And that is Africa. In 2021, Israel was rightfully awarded observer status at the African Union. Arab leaders have led the protests in denouncing this move, surprise, surprise. Oh, the hypocrisy that the Palestinian Authority should enjoy observer status. But a country that has done much good for African nations and African people should be denied the same privilege when members of the African Union gathered earlier this year, to vote on whether to retain or remove Israel’s observer status. Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission noted that 44 of the 55 countries that comprise Africa, recognize Israel and established diplomatic relations with the states.
Many African states have opened their markets and economic space to Israeli enterprises, and have signed cooperation agreements and fields including but not limited to, education, defense, security, intelligence, nuclear cooperation, agriculture, technological innovations, health, economy, and finance. It is a mystifying situation that this reality is not reflected by African nations and the United Nations.
The apartheid lies have instead brandished against the strengthening of ties by African nations with Israel, African nations are expected to, and have indeed, made peace and forged close ties with nations that colonized us, that enslaved our people, and that slaughtered us like animals. Israel, who we are told to shun has committed no such atrocities.
As a proud daughter of the African continent, I respectfully ask African leaders: how has lending support for hatred against the Jewish people progressed the needs of the continent? We have propped up the morally and legally corrupt notions that Israel is guilty of apartheid, colonization and genocide, to what benefit?
Africa is now the global eye of terrorism, and slavery is rampant in no less than five African countries, some of which have already had a seat and do have a seat on the Human Rights Council. Our support for the Palestinian people should be linked to where it will change the status quo, demanding their liberation from Hamas and Palestinian leadership that denies them basic and fundamental human rights.
We have for far too long let our name, let our history, let our votes be the centrality of a program that seeks to demonize and isolate the jurists, more so than it seeks to improve the lives of the Palestinian people. It is time for Africans to reassume her rightful place as a leader in relations with Israel. Just as she did 3000 years ago, by way of Queen Shiva, who visited King Solomon in Jerusalem.