Meretz chair demands PM reveal if Israel selling arms to Chad

Meretz chair Tamar Zandberg calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reveal where Chadian President Idriss Déby’s visit to Israel will include discussions about the Jewish state selling arms to the African country.

“The concern is that the visit will also be used for secret arms deals in which Israeli arms will be sold to persecute political opponents, human rights activists, and journalists,” Zandberg says in a statement.

Chad government sources told Reuters earlier that Déby’s visit is “focused on security,” and that Israel has supplied the Chadian army with weaponry and other equipment this year to help in its fight against the country’s northern rebels.

“The leader of Chad is a despicable person who is responsible for the persecution of LGBT people, arresting journalists, arresting dissidents in opposition, and establishing a dictatorial regime in his country,” Zandberg says of Déby.

“When there is a choice between the liberal democracies and the world’s most dubious leaders, Netanyahu always chooses the dubious. Netanyahu’s foreign policy continues to tarnish Israel’s reputation around the world,” she adds.