In first, Tanzania to open embassy in Israel

Tanzania told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that the East African country would be opening an embassy in Israel for the first time.

Foreign Minister Augustine Mahiga gave Netanyahu a letter from Tanzanian President John Magufuli in which Dodoma’s intention to establish a permanent envoy was expressed.

Bilateral ties between Israel and Tanzania were severed following the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Relations were reestablished in 1995, but Israel still conducts its relations with Tanzania via Nairobi in Kenya. Tanzania has reportedly expressed interest in reopening a mission in Israel multiple times in recent years.

Netanyahu was taking part in a multilateral meeting in Entebbe, Uganda, with the presidents of Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan and Zambia, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, and Mahiga.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with African leaders in Uganda on July 4, 2016. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

The prime minister called the summit a “milestone,” marking “monumental change in the relations between Israel and Africa.

“I believe Israel is the perfect partner for the countries of Africa,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “We think that Israel now is the best partner that the countries of Africa could have, and it’s something that is dear to our hearts.

“I believe in Africa. I believe in your future and I believe in our partnership for this future,” Netanyahu said. “We want a better future for you, a better future for all of us, and we think we can be your perfect partners.”