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Mombasa Attacks Indicate Israeli Interests in Africa At Stake
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| Kenyan Police check the site of an attack at the Paradise Hotel |
By
Khaled Hanafi, IOL Staff
CAIRO,
November 28 (IslamOnline) – The Mombasa operation sends a strong
message to the Israeli entity that its interests in the African
continent are at stake, said an Egyptian expert in African affairs.
The
operation targeted a country which acts as the main base of the
Israeli intelligence (Mossad)'s spy operations in the Horn of Africa
countries and facilitates diamonds smuggling in the Great Lakes region
through collaboration with some rebel movements, said the expert.
Kenya
is Israel's gateway to Africa and its importance to the Jewish state
has historical roots, especially that the founder of the Zionist
movement Theodore Herzl had chosen Kenya as a national home for Jews,
he added.
Kenya's
relations with Israel date back to the time of the independence of
Kenya at the hands of a pro-Western leader who was known for his close
ties with the Israel.
This
helped Israelis penetrate all activities in Kenya, said the analyst.
Israelis
are very active in all fields in Kenya and occupy highly influential
economic posts, controlling business, exchange, farms and service
projects, said the African affairs expert.
He
cited the obvious impact of Israeli experts and advisors on the Kenyan
army, which is equipped with Israeli-made weapons, especially
aircraft, gunboats, artillery and communication equipment.
The
expert asserted that Kenya is the passage to Israeli economic
influence in Africa where three thousand Israeli families own major
firms and control Kenyan economy.
Several
other Israeli companies also control agricultural crops like cocoa ,
cotton, rubber and coffee beans and export them to Israel, he said.
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