It has often been observed that Africa's emergence into world politics dramatically influenced the international system. The competition between the emerging African states and non-African states to fill the power vacuum created by the departure of the colonial powers and to influence regional politics became a feature of the new sub-
System.
Among the nations that attempted to play an
influential role in Africa were Egypt and Israel.
The Arab-Israeli competition, while certainly not the only factor, is perhaps the most significant aspect of Middle East-African interaction. While the Arabs seek African support in their struggle with Israel, the thrust of Israeli policy is to counter-balance the isolation and hostility of its neighbors and Arab influence in the Third World community.
The Arab-Israeli conflict is an issue of regional
politics in which many African states have become involved. In fact, the Arab-Israeli issue has at times seemed to have dominated the region’s politics.
While there are strong cultural and religious
affinities between the predominantly Muslim states of sub- Saharan Africa and the Arab world, the same could be said of the predominantly Christian states with the contemporary state of Israel. Ethiopia and Nubia (Sudan), the only Christian theocratic states before the rise of Islam, had strong ties with the Biblical Israel. Today, Christianity is the state religion of Ethiopia.
Emperor Haile Selassie was the 225th successive
Monarch of a dynasty established by a love affair between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
The spread of Islam, especially in West Africa, was often accomplished with the sword rather than by peaceful conversion. Also, the conquest of Ghana Empire in 1076 by the Almoravids, Songhai Empire in 1591 by the Moroccans and Kanem-Bornu in 1893 by the Arab adventurers from Nubia, might have had extremely damaging effects among the sub-Saharan Africans. 36 Perhaps this might have been partly responsible for most of Black Africa’s refusal to support the Arab cause in the 1960’s.
However, the introduction of Islam into the sub-
Saharan Africa is not without some advantages. The introduction of Islam brought about an increase in education and learning. It undermined tribe and tribalistic loyalties, replacing them with loyalties to the Muslim brotherhood. The heterogeneity of the vast empires of sub-Saharan Africa had to be followed by a policy which would give the empire more cohesion. Islam as a supra- tribal religion, provided the cement needed.
This feeling of brotherhood among Moslems was so great that when the Almoravids from North Africa invaded Ghana in 1059, the Takrur people, who had been Islamized earlier, even though a Negroid race, joined the Arabs in the war against Ghana
Despite determined efforts by the U.A.R., the Arab-Israeli struggle was not viewed as an African problem prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. This is partly due to the fact that the sub-Saharan African states did not want to be involved in problems that were not strictly African. Instead of taking sides in the conflict, they chose to be friendly with both sides.
After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war there were noticeable shifts on the part of the sub-Saharan African states over to the Arab side. However, the shifts were not rapid or complete.
During the All-African People's Conference, held in Accra in December, 1958, President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana allowed Mrs. Golda Meir to defend the state of Israel, following a barrage of attacks from the Arab participants. Moreover, a mild resolution was passed at the termination of the Conference which showed the unwillingness of the sub- Saharan Africans to take sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The resolution passed at the end of the conference urged "a just solution" to the Palestinian question. Commenting on the African attitudes to the Arab-Israeli conflict, Professor Ran Kochan said, "
System.
Among the nations that attempted to play an
influential role in Africa were Egypt and Israel.
The Arab-Israeli competition, while certainly not the only factor, is perhaps the most significant aspect of Middle East-African interaction. While the Arabs seek African support in their struggle with Israel, the thrust of Israeli policy is to counter-balance the isolation and hostility of its neighbors and Arab influence in the Third World community.
The Arab-Israeli conflict is an issue of regional
politics in which many African states have become involved. In fact, the Arab-Israeli issue has at times seemed to have dominated the region’s politics.
While there are strong cultural and religious
affinities between the predominantly Muslim states of sub- Saharan Africa and the Arab world, the same could be said of the predominantly Christian states with the contemporary state of Israel. Ethiopia and Nubia (Sudan), the only Christian theocratic states before the rise of Islam, had strong ties with the Biblical Israel. Today, Christianity is the state religion of Ethiopia.
Emperor Haile Selassie was the 225th successive
Monarch of a dynasty established by a love affair between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
The spread of Islam, especially in West Africa, was often accomplished with the sword rather than by peaceful conversion. Also, the conquest of Ghana Empire in 1076 by the Almoravids, Songhai Empire in 1591 by the Moroccans and Kanem-Bornu in 1893 by the Arab adventurers from Nubia, might have had extremely damaging effects among the sub-Saharan Africans. 36 Perhaps this might have been partly responsible for most of Black Africa’s refusal to support the Arab cause in the 1960’s.
However, the introduction of Islam into the sub-
Saharan Africa is not without some advantages. The introduction of Islam brought about an increase in education and learning. It undermined tribe and tribalistic loyalties, replacing them with loyalties to the Muslim brotherhood. The heterogeneity of the vast empires of sub-Saharan Africa had to be followed by a policy which would give the empire more cohesion. Islam as a supra- tribal religion, provided the cement needed.
This feeling of brotherhood among Moslems was so great that when the Almoravids from North Africa invaded Ghana in 1059, the Takrur people, who had been Islamized earlier, even though a Negroid race, joined the Arabs in the war against Ghana
Despite determined efforts by the U.A.R., the Arab-Israeli struggle was not viewed as an African problem prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. This is partly due to the fact that the sub-Saharan African states did not want to be involved in problems that were not strictly African. Instead of taking sides in the conflict, they chose to be friendly with both sides.
After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war there were noticeable shifts on the part of the sub-Saharan African states over to the Arab side. However, the shifts were not rapid or complete.
During the All-African People's Conference, held in Accra in December, 1958, President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana allowed Mrs. Golda Meir to defend the state of Israel, following a barrage of attacks from the Arab participants. Moreover, a mild resolution was passed at the termination of the Conference which showed the unwillingness of the sub- Saharan Africans to take sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The resolution passed at the end of the conference urged "a just solution" to the Palestinian question. Commenting on the African attitudes to the Arab-Israeli conflict, Professor Ran Kochan said, "
