ESSAY
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Nasser’s Legacy: Pushing Anti-Zionism in Africa
Gamal Abdul Nasser: Pioneer of anti-Zionism on the African continent
ONE OF THE IDEOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTS which underpins left-wing anti-Zionism depicts a unified Afro-Arab bloc in direct confrontation with the State of Israel. And while it is a construct, there have been times when it has appeared all too real. For example, in 1973, after the Yom Kippur war, the majority of African states sided with the Arab world and agreed to sever diplomatic relations with Israel. In 1973 and 1975, at meetings of the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union) and United Nations General Assembly respectively, African governments also supported Arab-instigated resolutions that demonized Zionism, equating it with colonialism and racism. More recently, the NGO Forum at the UN's infamous anti-racism conference in Durban in 2001 again conjured the specter of a unified bloc embracing Arabs and Africans, emanating, on this occasion, from civil society.
The narrative of an ahistoric, uniform, "Third World" anti-Zionism doesn't only undermine Israel's legitimacy. It also presents anti-Zionism as undefeatable. It elides the struggles that play out in creating shared conceptual meanings and coalitions around anti-Zionism. As a result, opportunities are missed to understand who is a racist enemy and who is vulnerable to persuasion, argument, and dialogue
A politics that defends Israel's legitimacy has to take into account the existence of various anti-Zionist discourses and movements and explore the connections between them. In this essay, I disrupt the narrative of a timeless Arab-African anti-Zionism by examining the origins and evolution of anti-Zionist discourses in post-colonial Africa. I show that anti-Zionist discourse in post-colonial Africa was not natural or inevitable. In what was clearly a political project, Arab nationalist leaders incorporated African nationalists into anti-Zionist discourses by skillfully framing Israel in ways that resonated with the cognitive frames used by these leaders to interpret the world.
The Early Years: Israel, Africa, and Nasser's Export of Anti-Zionism
Several scholars have documented and analyzed the friendly ties between Israel and Africa in the early years of decolonization. (1) Israel first became interested in cultivating ties with African countries in 1956, after it was excluded from the first Afro-Asian conference in Bandung, Indonesia. As sub-Saharan African countries achieved independence, beginning with Ghana in 1957, Israel perceived an opportunity to counter its diplomatic isolation in what was rapidly becoming known as the "Third World." In an effort to court allies, Israel quickly recognized these new governments, established diplomatic relations, and offered aid packages.
For several reasons, African leaders welcomed a close relationship with Israel. They were inspired by the Israeli model of state building and economic development and desperately needed economic aid. African states also viewed Israel as a small, struggling country that posed no threat of economic or political domination. Some countries even saw Israel and Africa as linked by a common bond of historical suffering. President Leopold Senghor of Senegal expressed this idea in an interview he gave in 1969:
"In any case, this is how we in Senegal have tried to enlighten public opinion without also fostering hate, because, beyond the conflict itself, there is the historic and prehistoric solidarity of long-suffering peoples, what I call the trilogy of suffering peoples-the Jews, the Arabs, and the Blacks."(2)
By the early 1960s, Israel had established friendly relations with most African states. By the end of 1962, Israel had twenty-two embassies in Africa. (3) In 1972, Israel had diplomatic ties with thirty-two African states. (4) Mauritania and Somalia were the only two states which did not establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Aside from the former colonial powers, Israel had the largest diplomatic network in Africa. Every country which established diplomatic relations benefited from an aid and technical assistance program administered by Mashav, Israel's Division for International Cooperation.(5)
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