Israel silent on Uganda's anti-gay law, fearing blow to strategic alliance

[theHandpuppet]

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.576608
Israel silent on Uganda's anti-gay law, fearing blow to strategic alliance
Fearing damage to its alliance with Uganda and arrangements to deport African asylum seekers, Israel has not joined the chorus of condemnations from the West.
By Barak Ravid
Feb. 26, 2014

(excerpt)

The Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister’s Bureau do not want to jeopardize Israel’s close and decades old relationship with Uganda by offending the regime. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally attributes great importance to the relationship, particularly because Israel is currently working to deport to the country Sudanese and Eritreans who arrived in Israel illegally. Netanyahu’s representative on the deportation, former deputy head of the Mossad Hagai Hadas, reached understandings a few months ago with the authorities in Kampala. A week ago, Haaretz reported that dozens of asylum seekers had already been secretly flown from Israel to Uganda.

The strategic relationship between Israel and Uganda includes broad intelligence and security cooperation. Israel Aerospace Industries refurbished Ugandan Air Force planes and its pilots have trained in Israel. A number of private companies owned by retired senior Israel Defense Force officers have trained Ugandan special forces units. Israel also sells Uganda weapons, such as mortars, machine guns, artillery and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry grants Uganda direct aid in the areas of agriculture and health. In addition, Israel and Uganda have widespread economic links, and many Israeli businesspeople operate in Uganda. Among them is former Israeli minister Rafi Eitan, who was involved in Museveni’s second visit to Israel in November 2011. During the previous visit in 2003, Museveni met with then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and discussed arms deals between the two countries.

Israel’s silence on the law is particularly notable, because Netanyahu often makes use of the Israeli LGBT community for public relations purposes. In almost all of his speeches abroad, Netanyahu attacks the Iranian regime for persecuting gays and executing them at public. At the same time, to strengthen Israel’s image as a liberal and democratic nation, Netanyahu and the Foreign Ministry often emphasize the way Israel has advanced the rights of its LGBT community....