Rwandan president gets warm reception from Israeli leaders

Both Netanyahu and Rivlin thanked the Rwandan president for his country’s UN voting record. 

Israel’s leaders warmly greeted Rwandan president Paul Kagame on Monday as he arrived in Israel for a two-day visit to expand cooperation in a number of sectors.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin hailed Rwanda’s record under Kagame’s leadership of abstaining from many anti-Israel votes at United Nations (UN) forums.

“We see how you stand up for Israel in international forums,” Netanyahu said, noting that “bilateral relationships should be reflected in multilateral forums.”

“There is a dissonance between us and a few other nations still,” Netanyahu lamented.

Netanyahu has expanded upon a campaign over the last two years to get African countries to avoid making anti-Israel votes in UN bodies, most recently during an address at a conference of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The Israeli prime minister reportedly became the first non-African leader to address ECOWAS. In a similar manner Kagame became the first African leader to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in March during the organization’s annual conference.

Rivlin expressed confidence and optimism about Rwanda’s membership in the UN Human Rights Council.

“We know that Rwanda is now going to be member of the UN Human Rights Council,” Rivlin said. “This is a body which is always against Israel, so we welcome all those who are prepared to speak for us.”

By: World Israel News Staff

Israel-Africa relationsKagameNetanyahuRivlinRwanda