Israel pledges more support for Kenya in anti-terrorism war

Israel will increase its military support for Kenyan troops to strengthen their combat capability against terrorism in areas such as intelligence sharing, training and equipment.

Visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Tel Aviv will be particularly keen to widen the scope of information gathering and sharing among security agencies using technology to pre-empt attacks.

The prime minister has been on a three-day State visit to Nairobi and departs for Rwanda Wednesday before jetting to Ethiopia.

“We will share our intelligence with our friends in Kenya and Africa,” said Mr Netanyahu in a televised joint briefing at State House in Nairobi.
Israel boasts Mossad, the country’s intelligence agency, which is highly reputed for gathering information to pre-empt attacks.

The planned military scale-up follows Tel Aviv’s past support to Kenya’s army.

Kenya has recently suffered a spate of deadly bomb and gun attacks on civilians and soldiers by Somalia-based Al Shabaab militants who are demanding removal of Kenyan troops from the horn of Africa nation.

The Israeli leader met President Uhuru Kenyatta and signed pacts that will see the Middle East nation help build Kenya’s health capacity in specialised medical services and emergency preparedness.

Kenyan and Israeli diplomats have also been excluded from the need to have visas on their diplomatic passports during visits. Israel followed through on its February promise to absorb more Kenyan students from 30 to 45 to study water technology, modern irrigation and agriculture in the Middle East nation.

A group of Kenyan students left for Israel yesterday to pursue courses in irrigation and automated agriculture technologies.

Tel Aviv is food-secure due to use of modern irrigation technology. It exports food products despite being in the middle of a desert.

The Israeli prime minister was accompanied by a delegation of 50 company executives. He said his African visit should send a strong signal as a quest for renewed relations with the continent.

President Kenyatta called on other African nations to forge closer ties with Israel, saying the continent stands to gain from the partnerships, especially on the security front.

Kenya’s President visited Tel Aviv in February and struck a number of deals.

“The single biggest challenge that we face as a community of nations is the threat against our security posed by deranged people who don’t believe in any religion,” said President Kenyatta.

“It will be foolhardy for one to sit back and say, faced with this challenge that Kenya or Africa cannot engage Israel on this matter. That is behaving like an Ostrich that buries its head in the sand.”