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Source: http://www.jtimes.co.il/
Mubarak's Fall Means Improved Israel-Africa Ties
(Makor Rishon-Hebrew, 3Aug12) Ariel Kahana - During the first six months of 2012, 15 African leaders visited Jerusalem, compared with 13 such visits in all of 2011. A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official explained that Egyptian President Mubarak "was the greatest block to Israel's relations with Africa. During his time, Egypt saw itself as the leader of Africa as well as of the Arab world. In this role, Mubarak did everything in his power to make the cold peace between Israel and Egypt the standard for our relations with African nations as well." The Egyptian ruler would threaten African nations that sought to strengthen ties with Israel. Gaddafi was even more active in this realm. African leaders also see a common interest with Israel in countering the spread of radical Islam. A Foreign Ministry official noted that "nearly all the [non-Arab] African states had Islamic minorities, and weapons were streaming not only into Gaza but throughout the African continent."