A group of three dozen African parliamentarians on Wednesday affirmed Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital and pledged to enhance diplomatic, economic and security cooperation with the Jewish state.
The burst of faith-based diplomacy at the two-day inaugural Africa-Israel Parliamentary Summit in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa comes amid a diplomatic tug-of-war in the region between supporters and opponents of Israel.
A resolution signed by the legislators representing some 25 African nations at the culmination of the event emphasizes their commitment to support Israel, condemns Islamic terrorism and pointedly opposes legal action, spearheaded by South Africa, against the Jewish state.
The lawmaker from Sierra Leone noted that their nation’s ties with Israel date back to 1960 when Israeli contractors built their parliament as well as other historic buildings in the African country, including the national bank and the general post office.
“We cannot sit in the House where laws are enacted and built by Israel yet fail to support Israel,” Parliament member Rebecca Yei Kamara told JNS. “We will raise awareness and lead advocacy for Sierra Leone to open an embassy in Israel, and specifically in Jerusalem.”
Diplomatic tug of war in Africa
The landmark gathering in the Ethiopian capital comes as South Africa has emerged as one of the fiercest critics of the Jewish state worldwide, having taken Israel to the International Court of Justice, a U.N. entity, on charges of genocide.
Israel’s African allies had successfully thwarted an attempt by African countries led by South Africa and Algeria earlier this year to oust Israel from its observer status at the 55-member African Union, alongside other countries such as China, Greece, Kuwait, Mexico, “Palestine,” the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
The African lawmakers attending the event come from Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Two Israeli parliamentarians from the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus, Sharren Haskel and Amit Halevi, also took part in the summit.
Many African legislators who attended the conference are members of the Israel Allies Caucuses in their respective parliaments, actively championing pro-Israel legislation through faith-based diplomacy.
Last year, representatives of 30 African and Arab countries convened in Jerusalem for the first-ever Arab-Africa-Israel conference.
