PM Netanyahu Makes ‘History’ By Re-establishing Official Ties With Chad; Returns To Israel Through Sudan-controlled Airspace

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made a groundbreaking trip to Chad to re-establish official ties with the Muslim-majority African nation. Flanked by President Idriss Deby, the Israeli premier stressed that the Jewish state is making “history” by creating inroads into the Arab-Islamic world despite efforts by the Palestinians and Iran to stymie Israel’s diplomatic outreach. Netanyahu vowed that Jerusalem and N’Djamena would cooperate in a wide range of fields including counter-terrorism, technology, health and agriculture. On Netanyahu’s way back to Israel, Sudan for the first-time ever granted permission for an Israeli plane to fly through South Sudanese airspace, which Khartoum still controls. President Omar Bashir, who is accused of war crimes, was persuaded by Saudi Arabia in 2016 to downgrade ties with Tehran and has since made intermittent overtures towards the Jewish state. Netanyahu’s visit comes amid speculation that the prime minister could soon travel to the United Arab Emirates; this, on the heels of his much-hailed trip to Oman in October.