The sinister motivations behind Israel's pivot to befriend Africa

As it has become a pariah on the global stage, Israel has used loans, aid and technology deals to enrich itself while leaving African citizens with deep financial and moral debt. By Mariam Jooma Çarikci and Lorelle Bell

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In August, Israel opened a new embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, after a 50-year absence.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called it part of the "alliance of believers", adding that "strengthening our engagement with Africa is a strategic priority".

As the world increasingly unites in critiquing the Zionist regime's war on Gaza, amplified by the UN declaring it a "genocide of the Palestinian people", Israel is looking to Africa as a soft-power destination. It hopes the pivot to Africa will translate to UN votes and economic benefits.

This explains the radical intensification of its diplomatic efforts in Africa, which saw six new Israel allies caucuses launched in parliaments in Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Seychelles, Gabon and Guinea in July.

Malawi opened an embassy in Israel in April 2024 and the Africa-Israel Parliamentary Summit was held in Addis Ababa in September that year. The caucuses affirm Israel's right to exist with Jerusalem as its capital, and signal the pursuit of expanded cooperation in agriculture, technology, climate resilience and counterterrorism.

But how useful is the Israeli partnership to African nations, and is Israeli aid nothing more than a debt trap for the struggling nations it claims to assist?

Israel describes its engagement with Africa as "development cooperation". Agricultural centres, irrigation projects and training schemes are promoted as gifts of expertise from a small state to a struggling continent.

In reality, this is less about solidarity than about power. The financing is structured as buyer's credits: Israeli banks pay Israeli contractors upfront; export credit agencies insure the risk; and African governments guarantee repayment for years to come. If projects fail, the firms are already paid and the banks are protected; only African treasuries - and citizens - absorb the loss.