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Liberman looks to expands Israel-Africa ties

Israel has a pending request to join the African Union as a non-African observer member.
Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman arrives at the Entebbe international airport 42km (25 miles) south of Uganda's capital Kampala, September 9, 2009. Lieberman, accompanied by business and military delegation, is on an official African visit to Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria. REUTERS/James Akena (UGANDA POLITICS) - RTR27MUJ
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Dozens of illegal immigrants from Africa were arrested Dec. 29 in Tel Aviv at the end of a demonstration against their expulsion. Many of them are now on strike, protesting against Israel's intention to send them back to their countries of origin. Actions by Israeli nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been increasing on behalf of refugees from Sudan, Eritrea and neighboring countries, pushing the humanitarian issue to the forefront of public discourse.

The heavily reported public debate on the fate of undocumented African immigrants, however, scarcely touches on the full scope of Israeli-African relations, including the notable changes these relationships have undergone over the past few years. One indication of these changes would be Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman's planned tour of Africa, scheduled for the first half of 2014. This is not a trivial matter. Israeli foreign ministers spend most of their time visiting Washington and Brussels and other European capitals. African capitals are rarely at the top of their list of priorities. Nevertheless, in 2009 Liberman dedicated nine days to touring Africa, visiting Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. He intended to visit the continent again in 2011, but preparations were cut short due to the announcement of early elections.

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