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Israeli PM tells Africa Israel is staunch ally

Xinhua, July 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday that Africa has no better ally than Israel in addressing security and development issues, amidst the second day of his visit to Africa.

Netanyahu is on a four-day quest to Africa, seeking to strengthen ties with the continent and finding new allies to counter the increasing Palestinian influence in international bodies like the United Nations.

He is the first ruling Israeli prime minister to visit Africa since the late Yitzhak Rabin visited Morocco in 1994.

On Tuesday, he met with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for a talk on security, intelligence, cyber, energy, agriculture, and trade, according to a statement by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

Netanyahu said in a joint press conference in Nairobi that both nations must join forces against the "resurfacing of a new form of terrorism." He added "I think we see eye to eye on the nature of this problem, and I think Africa and Israel overwhelmingly see eye to eye on this."

Noticing the deadly attacks by extremist groups in Nairobi's Westgate Mall in 2013 and in the Garissa University in 2015, he stated that terrorism makes Israel and Kenya "natural partners."

"I know that working together will help us defeat the scourge of this terror even faster. And when I say working together it's Kenya, Israel and other African countries that have an equal stake in defeating the forces of this radicalism that threatens all our societies," he said.

Kenyatta said that nations that oppose terror should work together. "That's why I strongly believe it's critical for us reevaluate our relationship," he said.

Netanyahu said that Kenyatta told him he would assist Israel to restore its status as an observant country at the African Union, an organization comprised of 54 African nations.

"It tallies with our desire to join with African countries, creating a new partnership for security and development," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu was the first incumbent Israeli prime minister to visit Kenya. The two nations had strong ties, but their relations strained in the 1970s amidst pressures by Arab countries and Israel's strong support of South Africa's apartheid regime.

Netanyahu's tour includes visits to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia, and meetings with leaders from these countries in addition to South Sudan, Zambia, and Tanzania. Endit