Israeli PM sets 'ambitious' Africa dream, hints of joining next ECOWAS meeting

Israel

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has reiterated that Israel is coming back to Africa and Africa is also coming back to Israel in issues of mutual cooperation.

‘‘Israel is looking at all of Africa, and I hope all of Africa looks at Israel. There are sound reasons why this should happen. The first is security, the second is hope,’‘ he said during a meeting with African leaders and head of governments.

Netanyahu was speaking to the political leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. He expressed a desire to visit every country on the continent. A plan he admits was ambitious.

At the UN, I met with 15+ heads of state & reps from African countries.

Israel is coming back to Africa; Africa is coming back to Israel. pic.twitter.com/E5JcfPwLiy

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) September 22, 2016

‘‘I would like to come to all of the Africa countries. This is a presumptuous plan, very ambitious. But I’d like to start with the countries of west Africa having been to east Africa.

‘‘There is an ECOWAS meeting, I believe in the end of the year and I very much hope that we could meet the other countries of west Africa. But I don’t intend to lend myself to east Africa or west Africa,’‘ he said.

He spoke about how Africa stood to benefit from cooperation with Israel citing two main areas of security and of hope.

I would like to visit every country in Africa. Israel is looking at all of Africa, and I hope all of Africa looks at Israel. pic.twitter.com/3Yxz2ZPvHb

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) September 23, 2016

The Israeli PM recently visited east Africa as part of a historic tour that saw him visit Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia. He first spoke about his country’s return to Africa and vice versa on the last leg of his tour in Ethiopia.