Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opponents and rivals have not missed the chance to criticize and ridicule his extravagant and wasteful visit to Africa.
Netanyahu's visit started July 4 when his entourage landed in Uganda on the 40th anniversary of the hostage rescue operation that freed the passengers of an Air France flight that was hijacked and taken to the Ugandan town of Entebbe in 1976. Netanyahu's own brother Yoni, commander of the Matkal commando unit, was killed in the rescue operation. The prime minister's official visit to four African countries — Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia — is scheduled to end July 8. The visit was intended to bolster economic and diplomatic ties between Israel and Africa. Just last week, the Israeli government approved a program worth 50 million shekels ($13 million) to advance this goal.
