"Various pressures have been exerted on the Togolese president to cancel the conference. These pressures are the best evidence of the success of our policy of Israeli presence in Africa, "said the Israeli website fr.timesofisrael.com quoting remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Everything does not happen without pressures to the contrary," he said during the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday, referring to the Africa-Israel summit.
Faure Gnassingbé and Benjamin Netanyahu met on Monday evening in Jerusalem's offices in Jerusalem, as the important AGOA forum, which brings together some 40 African countries and US officials, is set up in Lome to discuss trade between Africa and the USA. "Between 20 and 25 African heads of state and government, plus a dozen ministers with various portfolios, are expected to attend this four-day conference," according to Franco-Jew Bruno Finel, Event, cited by the site. Bruno Finel is also the patron of the propaganda site for the power of Lomé, republicoftogo.com. Yet neither its website nor the official media have mentioned this stealthy visit of the Togolese president to Israel.
There are 55 countries in Africa. It is clear that more than half of the heads of state risk, according to the admission of the organizer, not to make the trip to Lomé. An indicator of the level of adhesion of African leaders to this Togolese initiative. "The preparations are going very well. You will have about 150 Israeli companies present at this summit, about a dozen from West Africa and a large number also from Central and Eastern Africa, "he told Israeli media on Sunday . There is a "strong possibility" that even senior officials from countries with which Israel does not have economic ties be present, Finel added. "On the one hand, it is about politics and diplomacy, and on the other, it is about trade. We want to promote a real partnership between Africa and Israel, "the site quoted Finel as saying.
"Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, asked to meet Gnassingbe at the summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa in early July urging him to reconsider the holding of the Africa-Israel summit. A senior African official said that this is the first time that Abbas has sought to discuss with the Togolese leader, who has been in office since 2005. The Togolese president does not yield to pressure. During their meeting, Gnassingbe said he runs his country as he sees fit, preserving friendly ties with both Israel and the Palestinians and believing that the summit could be a positive vehicle for both the Israeli economy and Palestinian ", reads on another site, lphinfo.com, Which seems to have taken over the article from another Israeli website coolamnews.com. Thursday afternoon, the article was no longer available on the latter.
"Despite all political risk, Faure Gnassingbe intends to continue the organization of the Africa-Israel summit which will not fail to add to the prestige of his country. One of its leaders commented: "If you organize an Africa-Africa summit, nobody is interested, not even the international media. But if you do something with Israel, you get some kind of media coverage, whether it's positive or negative. " The commentators also explain that the massive presence of the press is almost as important for Togo as the summit itself, "the article said.
If the reaction is feasible, The different Israeli websites claim that Morocco is in no way linked to any support for the Palestinians but has a more economic than political motivation. "Morocco wants to become a superpower, and understands that Africa is a major market for the country," explained a "source close to the Africans" cited by fr.timesofisrael.com. "The Moroccan opposition at the summit has nothing to do with supporting the Palestinians - zero. Moroccans consider Israel a competitor, such as China, India or Japan, "the source said.
"South Africa, too, seemed to want to block the summit. The ruling party in the country, the African National Congress, Last month issued a "discussion paper" calling for sabotage of Israel's rapprochement with African states in general and the meeting scheduled in Lomé in particular, "the Israeli website quoted a part of the document as saying:" We have remained consistent In our solidarity with the people of Gaza, in their cause to create a Palestinian state. We can not look away from Israeli efforts to find support in Africa and elsewhere with the aim of undermining the Palestinian cause. "
Nevertheless, Togo and Israel seem calm in the pursuit of the organization of their "summit". They even announce a pre-summit of young people to be held before the meeting of politicians and businessmen.
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