The first ever Israel-Africa Summit scheduled to take place in October has been called off in the aftermath of boycott threats by a number of countries and pressure against the event from Palestinians and Arab countries.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had planned to attend the conference of several dozen African nations, which he has billed a sign of Israel’s success in making new diplomatic friends in that continent.
Speculation suggests that the pending indictment of Sara Netanyahu and the continued criminal corruption investigation against the premier have also placed a damper on the event.
News of the summit's temporary cancellation come as Netanyahu is en route to make the first-ever visit by a sitting Israeli prime minister to Latin America.
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In its statement to the press, the Foreign Ministry said that the event had been “postponed” but it did not provide an alternative date.
“At the request of the President of Togo and following a joint consultation with the Prime Minister, it was decided to postpone the convening of the Israel-Africa Summit, scheduled to take place in October in Lomé,” the Foreign Ministry said.
It added that an agreed upon date would be set later by both countries.
“In the near future, Israel will hold consultations in Africa, both on the bilateral level as well as in regional gatherings and fora on the continent in order to guarantee the full success of the summit,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé “thanked and praised the prime minister for his determination to strengthen the cooperation between his country and Israel, as well as for his personal engagement to guarantee the initiative to hold the summit,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Gnassingbé “also emphasized that this event aims to unite the efforts undertaken against the threat on peace and security, which undermines stability and slows down the development of the continent.
“Israel is fully committed to continue its efforts vis a vis the African continent,” the Foreign Ministry stated. In 2016 Netanyahu visited Rawanda, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. In June of this year he was a guest of honor at the ECOWAS Summit in Liberia, it added.
“Israel believes that the African countries and Israel can only benefit from the continuation of practical cooperation between the two sides, and this in important areas such as water, agriculture, health and technology,” the Foreign Ministry said.
