Israel’s African awakening begins in Chad with hints more countries could follow

The Chadian visit is part of a wider engagement of Middle Eastern and African nations with Israel, including last month’s visit by Mr Netanyahu to Oman, the first open visit by an Israeli Prime Minister to the Gulf in over twenty years.

There are also increasing reports of secret diplomatic talks with countries such as Sudan and Bahrain.

Last Thursday, Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Al-Busaidi said at a conference that the Arab world needed to “come to terms with the reality that Israel is a fact of life in the region”.

The thaw in Israel’s relations with these countries is connected with a much wider geopolitical shift.

In Chad’s case, the main factor in cutting off diplomatic relations was the influence of its neighbour Libya, under former dictator Muammar Gadaffi.

Sudan, a stage for the regional power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia, has been a route for arms being smuggled by Iran to its allies in Gaza and Lebanon. But two years ago, Khartoum announced it was breaking off relations with Tehran, a step that was interpreted as the result of Saudi financial aid.

There have also been efforts along with Israel to open up avenues in Washington for Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, who since 2009 has faced an arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court over his alleged involvement in war crimes in Darfur.