Israel and Chad renew diplomatic relations

[Kailash Kumar]

Israel and Chad renew diplomatic relations, Benjamin Netanyahu says

Jan 20, 2019

Muslim-majority nation renews ties after they were severed in 1972

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reviews an honour guard upon his arrival to N'Djamena, Chad.

Chad renewed its official relationship with Israel yesterday, decades after the African nation cut diplomatic ties.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Israeli leader, who is fighting corruption allegations, and Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno had “announced the renewal of diplomatic relations” after more than three decades.

Mr Netanyahu, posting on Twitter, called the announcement “a historic moment”.

Speaking in N’Djamena on the first visit there by an Israeli prime minister, he said that “Israel is making inroads into the Islamic world”.

“This is the result of considerable effort in recent years. We are making history and we are turning Israel into a rising global power,” Mr Netanyahu said.

Chad broke off ties with Israel in 1972 but he has been courting the Muslim-majority country. Mr Deby visited Israel in November.

The substance of their talks is unclear but there has been speculation that an arms deal to help Chad fight rebels in the north of the country may have been at the centre of the drive to mend ties.

Chad is engaged in the battle to defeat Boko Haram, the ISIS offshoot based in Nigeria.

Mr Deby is one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.

He took over the arid, impoverished nation in 1990 and won a disputed fifth term in April 2016 to lead the country of about 15 million people.

Chad is one of the world’s least developed states, the World Bank’s Human Development Index says, and its government has been accused of widespread human rights abuses and rigged elections.

Mr Netanyahu has tried to improve ties with countries in the Arab and Muslim world, and said he expected similar diplomatic breakthroughs soon.

Many Arab states refuse to have diplomatic ties with Israel because of its occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories that Palestinians want as part of a future state.

The Palestinians and Iran opposed Chad’s move and Mr Netanyahu appeared to aim remarks at both parties.

“There are those who tried to sabotage this trip, but they were unsuccessful,” he said.

Mr Netanyahu is under increasing pressure at home as Israel’s attorney general is reportedly preparing to indict the prime minister on corruption charges.

To avoid the impact of an indictment, Mr Netanyahu called early elections for April to tackle any leadership challenge with a new mandate.

He has sped up attempts to secure diplomatic victories abroad to detract from his domestic troubles.

Mr Netanyahu also attended the inauguration of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro this month, making attempts to lobby the right-wing leader about moving Brazil’s embassy to Jerusalem.

Only the US, Guatemala and Paraguay moved their missions to Jerusalem, and Paraguay has since reversed that decision.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/af...ic-relations-benjamin-netanyahu-says-1.815709

 

[zectech]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter...media/File:CountriesRecognizingIsrael2018.svg

 

[Tshering22]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter...media/File:CountriesRecognizingIsrael2018.svg

Not a bad deal, given the fact that Israelis are missing nothing very important.

Egypt and Jordan chose a sensible path and are benefiting from the peace ensued between the three countries, while others are needlessly trying to drive a dead agenda against Israel.

Chad is sensible to come to its senses and realise the value of expanding diplomatic relations with multiple technological powerhouses. The country suffered civil war and insurgencies for many years, including the famous "toyota wars". It is time they put all that on the side and look forward to a pragmatic future cooperation with a country that very much thrives and exists, as opposed to an imaginary state which is only discussed on forums.

 

[maximuswarrior]

Looks like they wanna import more people to Israel.

 

[Kailash Kumar]

AL-QAEDA KILLS CHADIAN PEACEKEEPERS IN MALI AFTER NETANYAHU VISIT

JTA

JANUARY 21, 2019

An attack in the west African nation of Mali that left 10 Chadian UN peacekeepers dead was in reaction to the visit to Chad by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

An Al Qaeda-linked Islamist group in Mali, called Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, claimed responsibility for the attack on a United Nations camp in northern Mali on Sunday, shortly after Netanyahu and Chad’s president, Idriss Deby, announced that the two countries would reestablish diplomatic ties.

The claim for the attack and the reason for it was relayed by the Mauritanian Al-Akhbar news agency, which receives statements from the group, the French news agency AFP reported.

In addition to the 10 killed peacekeepers, another 25 were injured.

Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the UN envoy for Mali, in a statement called the attack “vile and criminal.” He said the terrorists “arrived on several armed vehicles.”

“It demands a robust, immediate and concerted response from all forces to annihilate the peril of terrorism in the Sahel” region of Africa, the statement said.

The UN Security Council later on Sunday condemned the attack and paid homage to the peacekeepers.

There are about 13,000 UN peacekeepers deployed in Mali, to protect against violence by Islamist militias.

https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-...-in-Mali-following-PM-Netanyahus-visit-578158