By Addis Getachew and Seleshi Tessema

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

Ethiopia will support Israel’s bid to regain observer status in the African Union, said Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Thursday.

Addressing a joint press conference alongside visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Desalegn said Netanyahu “has requested Ethiopia to support them in [regaining its] observer position in the African Union and as a matter of principle we see … no reason to deny [that].”

He said Israel was working very hard with many African countries in peace and security, development, and capacity development, among other areas.

Hailemariam also said Israel supports Ethiopia’s bid to become a non-permanent member of the United Nation Security Council beginning in 2017 and is supporting the country’s bid for World Health Organization directorship.

The African Union stripped Israel of observer status with the AU in 2003 in solidarity with the Palestinian cause, and gave Palestine observer status in 2013.

During Netanyahu’s visit, the two sides signed cooperation deals in the fields of culture and tourism and capacity-building.

Netanyahu: Ethiopia is on the rise

Netanyahu arrived late on Wednesday to pay a two-day visit to Ethiopia accompanied by an entourage of high-profile officials and 70 businesspeople.

Addressing the Ethiopian Parliament, Netanyahu, who over the week visited Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, said Israel is keen to support Ethiopia’s development, adding, “We believe Ethiopia is on the rise.”

Ethiopia has a special place in the hearts of Israelis in the same way that Israel has a place in the heart of Ethiopians, Netanyahu told the MPs, pointing to the ancient relations between the two countries dating back to the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

Netanyahu called for enhanced cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries date back to 1955, then were broken in 1973 due to the Yom Kippur war, then were re-established in 1992.

In addition to trade ties, Ethiopia receives Israeli support in military technology and technical fields, according to official documents.

No AU welcome for Netanyahu

Under normal circumstances, no visiting head of government would neglect a visit to the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.

It is difficult for the union to invite the leader of a country they consider an occupier, Palestinian Ambassador to Ethiopia Nasrri Abujash told Anadolu Agency.

To avoid confronting the African Union at large, whose collective stand has always been to support Palestinian statehood and condemn Israel’s settlements, Netanyahu’s strategy seems to be approaching countries individually.

Uncertain reunion

An uncertain but sizable number of Ethiopian Jews still hope to emigrate to Israel.

“Netanyahu’s visit gives us some hope of reuniting with our families in Israel,” Tesfahun Adela, head of the Ethiopian Jewish Unity Association, told Anadolu Agency, estimating the number of Jews left in Ethiopia at 9,700. “The government of Israel has difficulty verifying the number.”

In his speech, Netanyahu described the Ethiopian Jewish community as a bridge between Ethiopia and Israel.