Why are African countries split on their historical support of Palestine?

Many countries in Africa have long held deep rooted ties with Palestine and its struggles, but in recent years Israel has managed to make inroads into using economic strategies to sway opinions.

With the renewal of the Israel-Palestine conflict many African countries have had the gap between their economic and trade goals and their political and cultural realities come into sharp relief.

Kenya's response to the Hamas attack has been unequivocally pro-Israel, following Europe and the United States's lead. Kenyan President William Ruto went on X (formerly Twitter) to voice his support. 

"Kenya joins the rest of the world in solidarity with the State of Israel and unequivocally condemns terrorism and attacks on innocent civilians in the country," he wrote. 

"There exists no justification whatsoever for terrorism, which constitutes a serious threat to international peace and security."

"The international community must mobilise to bring the perpetrators, organisers, financiers, sponsors, supporters and enablers of these reprehensible criminal acts of terrorism to account and speedily bring them to justice."

This statement comes as the number killed in the Israeli bombing Campaign exceeds 1,900, highlighting the effectiveness of Israel's economic strategy.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Zambia have also aligned themselves as pro-Israel.

South Africa, on the other hand, has squarely placed the blame on Israel's actions, citing the illegal occupation and desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as other Christian religious sites.

Zane Dangor -a top South African official-  spoke to local news eNCA saying that Hama's attack was unsurprising and that the conflict would not cease "Until the occupation ends". 

Algeria has also declared solidarity with Palestine, and the Moussa Mahamat Faki of the African Union Commision has blamed the violence on the "Denial of fundamental rights of the Palestinians" while calling for a two-state solution.

This split between African countries, normally bound by the mutual suffering of historical colonialism and racism has highlighted how each country is attempting to separate their interests.

Israel has been moving to normalise ties in Africa through deals regarding technology, military assistance and aid.

Israels globally recognised status as a leader in agricultural technology and techniques is on of the leading causes of their support in Africa, which often suffers from extreme weather that causes food shortages frequently.

"Israel's role as one of the world's leaders in agricultural technologies is a very attractive incentive for African countries battling insecurity and for economies with arid and semi-arid lands," Tighisti Amare, deputy director of the Africa Programme at the London-based Chatham House think tank said.

"As such, many African countries have chosen to exercise their agency and separate economic interests from political positions in international fora," she added.

The Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel in 1989 and the Oslo Accords of 1993 have marked the growing momentum of normalisation between African nations and Israel, with Sudan, Chad and Morocco marking its significant progress on the continent. 

South Africa remains one of Israel's biggest critics, having suffered under an apartheid regime for years, yet it is also Israel's largest trading partner on the continent.

Of the $750 million in trade done in 2021 between Israel and Sub-Saharan Africa, nearly two-thirds of it was with South Africa, with Nigeria coming second with a trade value of $129 million.

South Africa also trades with Palestine, most notably in olive oil.

Israel still encounters setbacks on the African continent.

Despite progress in seeking Observer Status in the African Union(AU) in 2021, Israel's status was suspended in February after both Algeria and South Africa protested that status. Palestine has maintained Observer Status since 2013.

In addition to this many African countries voted against the US decision to open an Embassy in disputed Jerusalem in 2017.

The dual nature of Africa strengthening ties with Israel while also supporting Palestine is not unexpected. While many countries try to keep politics separated from trade relations, one will inevitably bleed into the other.

South Africa is facing increasing internal pressure from its civil society to take a clearer position in favour of Palestine.

"Last year, South Africa's parliament passed a resolution to downgrade South Africa's diplomatic relations and embassy in Israel," Muhammed Desai, director of the South African advocacy group Africa4Palestine, told Al Jazeera.

"As we speak, South Africa does not have an ambassador in Israel," he pointed out. "As civil society, we are advocating for our government to do more: All relations and trade with Israel should be boycotted, both at a public level but also by the private sector."

"Last year, South Africa's parliament passed a resolution to downgrade South Africa's diplomatic relations and embassy in Israel," Desai said.

"As we speak, South Africa does not have an ambassador in Israel," he pointed out. "As civil society, we are advocating for our government to do more: All relations and trade with Israel should be boycotted, both at a public level but also by the private sector."

Uganda president Yoweri Museveni stated on X(formerly Twitter) that "The breakout of renewed violence in Israel-Palestine is regrettable. Why don't the two sides implement the two-state solution? To be condemned, in particular, is the practice of targeting civilians and non-combatants by the belligerents."

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa told Deutsche Welle on Thursday (12 October), "We remain gravely concerned at the devastating escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the atrocities committed against civilian populations. We call for the immediate cessation of violence and the exercise of restraint."

Much of Africa views the current war as a continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rather than a singular battle between Israel and Hamas, and as the death toll rises from Israel's deadly bombardment, more calls for mediation are expected.