Who has ever heard of Togo? Well I did as a ten year old starting a postage stamp collection in which Togo occupied a prominent place along with Dahomey now called Benin, Gold Coast now called Ghana and of course the Republic of Upper Volta now called Burkina Faso.
Fifty-four African nations have been invited to attend an Africa-Israel Summit scheduled to begin on October 23rd in the city of Lomé, the capital of Togo. This is an Israeli ground breaking initiative with world wide implications, and we are hoping that at least 20 nations out of the 54 will have the cajones to break with their Muslim brothers and step up to the plate. 
This is a essentially rewrite of an article that appeared in Al Jezeera on the 17th of August, entitled “Africa-Israel summit 'justifies colonialism, apartheid”. What the article alludes to, but does not dwell upon is that we are fighting a diplomatic war against Palestinians, anti-Israelis and anti-Semites. And with Hashem’s help and the bold initiative of Israel’s government, we are succeeding.
Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet leaders from more than 20 countries to rekindle a diplomatic and economic relationship. The summit will be the first of its kind. "The summit, scheduled for October 23, will have leaders from Africa and Israel discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of technology, development and security".
A group of Palestinian activists have launched a campaign to deter African nations from partaking in the upcoming Africa-Israel summit. "South Africa, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania, have already decided to boycott the summit". Out of 193 member states, there are 54 African countries in the UN. To date, "some 15 African countries are already in the Israeli camp". Bibi expects to convince another five countries, who are sitting on the fence.
On one hand, "African nations have been supporters of the Palestinian cause when voting on resolutions concerning the right of return, the dismantlement of the Separation Wall, and ending the so called illegal settlement expansion project". On the other hand says "Ghada Karmi, a spokesperson for an organization calling for the boycott of the summit, Israel is determined to carry out the summit to reverse or abolish the pro-Arab policy of the African states. If the summit were successful, it would be "a milestone on the Israeli campaign"".
It is felt in Ramallah and elsewhere that "Israel is taking advantage of its technological abilities and of its military and security services to carry out the summit. Loss of support in the UN could lead to dominance of the Israeli narrative about Palestinian issues". "Ayesha Kajee, South African political analyst opines: “While these new friendships with Israel might bring certain African countries short-term benefits…they should beware of Israel's longer-term agenda, which may ultimately be detrimental to their own national interests”.
Speaking of national interests, other than drip irrigation technology and the like, what possibly could be in Togo’s national interest to host the event? Let’s see: Togo is short on electricity. Maybe we can help them out with solar panels. How about upgrading their tiny air force with some of our aging F15 fleet? Togo produces a considerate amount of phosphate, an agricultural commodity. Israel Chemicals, Ltd. harvests quite a bit of potash, also an agricultural commodity, from the Dead Sea. I can see a shidach in the making.
Will we be able to change the status quo and upset the balance of power in the UN, I think so. I hope so. It’s not just Netanyahu working alone; remember that Tzipi Hotovely, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs has a say in what happens, and that this is an issue which receives positive support from all sides of the aisle. Also let’s not discount that we have the support of the USA, not to mention the efforts of Ambassador Nikki Haley. I can’t wait to see how it plays out.