Israel and Ethiopia must fight ‘shared threat’ of terrorism, says Sa’ar

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar asserts the need to combat terrorism in Israel and Africa during a press conference with his Ethiopian counterpart Gedion Timotheos.

“Terrorism is a shared threat to our peoples,” says Sa’ar at the event in Jerusalem. “We are witnessing radical Islamic terror in our regions — Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, jihadists in Syria, and Al-Shabaab in Africa. Terror must be eradicated.”

Sa’ar points to ties between the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia and the Houthis rebels in Yemen. The Houthis began launching attacks against Israel after the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023 attack, and today threatened to resume attacks on Israeli vessels traveling on Mideast waters as a response to Israel halting aid trucks entering into Gaza during an uncertain ceasefire with Hamas.

“Ethiopia plays a critical role in combating the Al-Shabaab terrorist organization,” says Sa’ar, explaining that Al-Shabaab “collaborates with the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, further destabilizing the region. Since October 7, the Houthis have launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israeli civilians, disrupted global trade routes, and now threaten to block Israeli ships from the Red Sea. They are a threat to Israel, Africa, and the global order.”

The foreign minister adds that Timotheos’s visit is “the first in an initiative…to deepen ties with African nations,” calling Ethiopia “one of the leading countries” in the region.

He says relations between the countries “go back to biblical times” and that Israel’s “community of immigrants originally from Ethiopia is a central part of Israeli society, integrated into all walks of life.”

Sa’ar adds that he will soon make a reciprocal visit to Ethiopia, according to the Foreign Ministry.