Richard Silverstein
Africa has for decades been a playground for Israel: both in the
literal sense as a spot for Israelis to play in the sun (Kenya, Sharm
el-Sheikh); and in the figurative sense regarding Israeli diplomats and
spies who’ve woven their webs of intrigue there. In the days of Ben
Gurion, he saw Africa as a weight to counter the hostile influence of
the Arab world. That’s why Israeli development and aid projects were so
intensively pursued in the 1950s and 60s.
Later, Israel made common cause with apartheid era South Africa in
developing its nuclear weapons program. Israel also readily supplied
arms to some of the worst insurgent movements in places like Angola on
behalf of the Reagan administration and as a spoiler for Cuba in its
intervention. Today, Israeli billionaires like Lev Leviev and Dan Gertler
work hand in glove with military regimes and corrupt politicians in
Congo, Angola and elsewhere to pry blood diamonds from African soil,
which glitter on the necks and bosoms of the 1% in fashion capitals
throughout the world. They reinforce the wealth and power of
blood-sucking tyrants and the continuing degradation of the poor
peasants who share none of this wealth.
Israel’s retrograde influence in southern Africa continues to this
day. Retired Israeli intelligence officers are plying their trade in
countries like Zimbabwe, where they offer the ruling party their
expertise in running elections. They collect data, register voters,
maintain voter rolls, conduct the elections and count the votes–all for a
substantial fee of course. On their websites they can boast about
their role in furthering the budding of African democracy. But in
reality, they’re working hand in glove with the dictator, Robert Mugabe.
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