International relations literature generally tells us that donor countries see foreign aid as a k... more International relations literature generally tells us that donor countries see foreign aid as a key instrument of foreign policy to promote political interests. According to research, donor countries usually hope to get favorable voting at the United Nations (UN) arena in return, meaning that the motivation for foreign aid is not so altruistic. This article examines these claims and discusses the link between foreign aid, bilateral relations, and voting patterns in the UN General Assembly while focusing on Israeli foreign aid to five East African countries, using data on Israel's foreign aid and data on voting patterns from 2012 to 2021. The results testify that Israel foreign aid has helped to promote ties with Ethiopia,
Although the literature on the relationship between tourism and peace is extensive, these studies... more Although the literature on the relationship between tourism and peace is extensive, these studies have not been focused on the context of Morocco-Israel relations. Additionally, although many studies examined tourism's role as a peacemaker or peacekeeper, little focus has been given to tourism as a tool for promoting normalization between governments during periods without official relations. To address this theoretical gap, this study examined the role of tourism in promoting "normalization without normalization"-the period without official relations between Israel and Morocco, from 2000 to 2020. The results show that tourism's role in making peace between Israel and Morocco was limited but played a major role in strengthening and stabilizing unofficial relations through emotional campaign, pilgrimages, and economic growth. Thus, the empirical analysis validates the theoretical concept that tourism, as a peacekeeper, helped to nurture a positive unofficial relation between Israel and Morocco.
Tourism and Israel-Arab Normalization Processes: The Case of Israel, Morocco, and the UAE, 2024
The Iran factor and the USA's role as a mediator are cited as notable factors contributing to the... more The Iran factor and the USA's role as a mediator are cited as notable factors contributing to the Israel-Arab rapprochement that led to the signing of the Abraham Accords in September 2020. These explanations mainly help understand the factors contributing toward the normalization and suggest that economic incentives and tourism are significant factors in sustaining the normalization in the cases of Israel-Morocco and Israel-UAE. By using the theory of tourism diplomacy, the article shows that since the Abraham Accords, tourism has been used by the governments of Israel, Morocco, and the UAE to maintain positive relations; an emotional tourism campaign through pilgrimages and saint veneration is used to promote tourism flow, especially in the case of Morocco; and tourism played a significant role in stabilizing Israel's relations with the UAE and Morocco. This carries important policy implications for the future normalization process that tourism can play a major political tool used by Israel and Arab countries to maintain positive relations.
The journal for interdisciplinary middle eastern studies, Dec 31, 2023
Unlike previous studies in the field of foreign aid and political interests, which have
focused ... more Unlike previous studies in the field of foreign aid and political interests, which have
focused primarily on the United States’s attempt to gain political support at the United
Nations (UN) through foreign aid, this article focuses on the correlation between the
foreign aid provided by Israel to seven African countries and those countries’ voting
patterns in the UN with regard to Israel affairs. This research argues that foreign aid is
a key instrument in Israel’s effort to strengthen its ties in Africa. Its findings highlight a
positive correlation between foreign aid and political support, as expressed by African
countries’ voting patterns at the UN.
The Security Element in Israel-Africa Relations, 2021
Over the past decade Israel's relations with African countries have grown closer, and in tandem, ... more Over the past decade Israel's relations with African countries have grown closer, and in tandem, the importance of security ties and security exports invites special scrutiny. This article discusses the warming of Israel-Africa relations, and focuses on the role played by security ties. Review of Israel's security ties in general and with Africa in particular is absent from academic research and surfaces only minimally in the media and public discourse, in contrast to the wide-ranging discussion of Israel's civilian ties with the developing world. This is a deliberate decision by Jerusalem to limit the debate on Israel's security ties overall and with Africa in particular as much as possible. The article looks at what has driven Israel and African countries to promote relations over the past decade, and for the first time, the importance of security ties in these relations is examined in order to confirm the argument that contrary to official efforts by the Foreign Ministry to underscore civilian relations and Israel's foreign aid to Africa, security ties play a more significant role in the process.
Foreign aid and bilateral relations: The Israeli East Africa case, 2024
International relations literature generally tells us that donor countries see foreign aid as a k... more International relations literature generally tells us that donor countries see foreign aid as a key instrument of foreign policy to promote political interests. According to research, donor countries usually hope to get favorable voting at the United Nations (UN) arena in return, meaning that the motivation for foreign aid is not so altruistic. This article examines these claims and discusses the link between foreign aid, bilateral relations, and voting patterns in the UN General Assembly while focusing on Israeli foreign aid to five East African countries, using data on Israel's foreign aid and data on voting patterns from 2012 to 2021. The results testify that Israel foreign aid has helped to promote ties with Ethiopia,
The Palgrave International Handbook of Israel, 2022
Israel’s relations with African countries have undergone changes over the
decades, from establis... more Israel’s relations with African countries have undergone changes over the
decades, from establishment in the 1950s and 1960s, through severance in the
1970s and to strengthening and expansion of the ties today. This chapter discusses
the warming of Israel-Africa relations in the last two decades, analyzes the
motives of Israel and the African countries, and examines the actions Israel has
taken to strengthen those relations. Unlike the 1950s, when values-based motive
stood out among other interests in Israel’s efforts to establish relations in Africa,
today the Israeli motive is mainly expressed as an attempt to gain political support
from African countries within the “battles of legitimacy” conducted within
international organizations in general and in the UN arena in particular, in the
context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Indeed, the voting pattern of African
countries has changed positively for Israel in recent years in a way that is a
testament to the successful development of closer relations. Therefore, this
chapter reviews the Israeli effort to expand relations with African countries, reflected in frequent official visits, security ties, and provision of civilian
assistance.
The Oslo Accords and Israel–Africa Relations, 2023
Although previous studies have separately discussed the Oslo Accords and Israel–Africa relations,... more Although previous studies have separately discussed the Oslo Accords and Israel–Africa relations, there has been little discussion of how and why relations between Israel and African countries evolved during the Oslo process and after its collapse. This article addresses these gaps, arguing that although the Oslo Accords did contribute to the establishment of diplomatic relations with many African countries, the contribution was minor and short-lived, and that common and national interests were more central motivations. It describes the complex nature of more recent developments in Israel-African relations and raises questions about the quality and consequences of bilateral relationships rooted mainly in national and common interests.
This article considers the link between tourism and classic diplomacy as a field of study and pol... more This article considers the link between tourism and classic diplomacy as a field of study and policy. The article focuses on the contribution of tourism to the strengthening of bilateral relations between governments, through analysis of Israeli–Tanzanian relations as a crucial case study. Thus, in addition to the literature that focuses on people-to-people diplomacy and tourism, this article highlights the role that tourism plays in strengthening diplomatic relations between states. Tourism is positioned within the broader context of economic diplomacy, and the interrelationships between tourism and diplomacy—theoretically and practically—are examined. This article finds that tourism is an important tool for promoting bilateral relations between governments in the context of classic diplomacy.
International relations literature generally tells us that donor countries see foreign aid as a k... more International relations literature generally tells us that donor countries see foreign aid as a key instrument of foreign policy to promote political interests. According to research, donor countries usually hope to get favorable voting at the United Nations (UN) arena in return, meaning that the motivation for foreign aid is not so altruistic. This article examines these claims and discusses the link between foreign aid, bilateral relations, and voting patterns in the UN General Assembly while focusing on Israeli foreign aid to five East African countries, using data on Israel's foreign aid and data on voting patterns from 2012 to 2021. The results testify that Israel foreign aid has helped to promote ties with Ethiopia,
Although the literature on the relationship between tourism and peace is extensive, these studies... more Although the literature on the relationship between tourism and peace is extensive, these studies have not been focused on the context of Morocco-Israel relations. Additionally, although many studies examined tourism's role as a peacemaker or peacekeeper, little focus has been given to tourism as a tool for promoting normalization between governments during periods without official relations. To address this theoretical gap, this study examined the role of tourism in promoting "normalization without normalization"-the period without official relations between Israel and Morocco, from 2000 to 2020. The results show that tourism's role in making peace between Israel and Morocco was limited but played a major role in strengthening and stabilizing unofficial relations through emotional campaign, pilgrimages, and economic growth. Thus, the empirical analysis validates the theoretical concept that tourism, as a peacekeeper, helped to nurture a positive unofficial relation between Israel and Morocco.
Tourism and Israel-Arab Normalization Processes: The Case of Israel, Morocco, and the UAE, 2024
The Iran factor and the USA's role as a mediator are cited as notable factors contributing to the... more The Iran factor and the USA's role as a mediator are cited as notable factors contributing to the Israel-Arab rapprochement that led to the signing of the Abraham Accords in September 2020. These explanations mainly help understand the factors contributing toward the normalization and suggest that economic incentives and tourism are significant factors in sustaining the normalization in the cases of Israel-Morocco and Israel-UAE. By using the theory of tourism diplomacy, the article shows that since the Abraham Accords, tourism has been used by the governments of Israel, Morocco, and the UAE to maintain positive relations; an emotional tourism campaign through pilgrimages and saint veneration is used to promote tourism flow, especially in the case of Morocco; and tourism played a significant role in stabilizing Israel's relations with the UAE and Morocco. This carries important policy implications for the future normalization process that tourism can play a major political tool used by Israel and Arab countries to maintain positive relations.
The journal for interdisciplinary middle eastern studies, Dec 31, 2023
Unlike previous studies in the field of foreign aid and political interests, which have
focused ... more Unlike previous studies in the field of foreign aid and political interests, which have
focused primarily on the United States’s attempt to gain political support at the United
Nations (UN) through foreign aid, this article focuses on the correlation between the
foreign aid provided by Israel to seven African countries and those countries’ voting
patterns in the UN with regard to Israel affairs. This research argues that foreign aid is
a key instrument in Israel’s effort to strengthen its ties in Africa. Its findings highlight a
positive correlation between foreign aid and political support, as expressed by African
countries’ voting patterns at the UN.
The Security Element in Israel-Africa Relations, 2021
Over the past decade Israel's relations with African countries have grown closer, and in tandem, ... more Over the past decade Israel's relations with African countries have grown closer, and in tandem, the importance of security ties and security exports invites special scrutiny. This article discusses the warming of Israel-Africa relations, and focuses on the role played by security ties. Review of Israel's security ties in general and with Africa in particular is absent from academic research and surfaces only minimally in the media and public discourse, in contrast to the wide-ranging discussion of Israel's civilian ties with the developing world. This is a deliberate decision by Jerusalem to limit the debate on Israel's security ties overall and with Africa in particular as much as possible. The article looks at what has driven Israel and African countries to promote relations over the past decade, and for the first time, the importance of security ties in these relations is examined in order to confirm the argument that contrary to official efforts by the Foreign Ministry to underscore civilian relations and Israel's foreign aid to Africa, security ties play a more significant role in the process.
Foreign aid and bilateral relations: The Israeli East Africa case, 2024
International relations literature generally tells us that donor countries see foreign aid as a k... more International relations literature generally tells us that donor countries see foreign aid as a key instrument of foreign policy to promote political interests. According to research, donor countries usually hope to get favorable voting at the United Nations (UN) arena in return, meaning that the motivation for foreign aid is not so altruistic. This article examines these claims and discusses the link between foreign aid, bilateral relations, and voting patterns in the UN General Assembly while focusing on Israeli foreign aid to five East African countries, using data on Israel's foreign aid and data on voting patterns from 2012 to 2021. The results testify that Israel foreign aid has helped to promote ties with Ethiopia,
The Palgrave International Handbook of Israel, 2022
Israel’s relations with African countries have undergone changes over the
decades, from establis... more Israel’s relations with African countries have undergone changes over the
decades, from establishment in the 1950s and 1960s, through severance in the
1970s and to strengthening and expansion of the ties today. This chapter discusses
the warming of Israel-Africa relations in the last two decades, analyzes the
motives of Israel and the African countries, and examines the actions Israel has
taken to strengthen those relations. Unlike the 1950s, when values-based motive
stood out among other interests in Israel’s efforts to establish relations in Africa,
today the Israeli motive is mainly expressed as an attempt to gain political support
from African countries within the “battles of legitimacy” conducted within
international organizations in general and in the UN arena in particular, in the
context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Indeed, the voting pattern of African
countries has changed positively for Israel in recent years in a way that is a
testament to the successful development of closer relations. Therefore, this
chapter reviews the Israeli effort to expand relations with African countries, reflected in frequent official visits, security ties, and provision of civilian
assistance.
The Oslo Accords and Israel–Africa Relations, 2023
Although previous studies have separately discussed the Oslo Accords and Israel–Africa relations,... more Although previous studies have separately discussed the Oslo Accords and Israel–Africa relations, there has been little discussion of how and why relations between Israel and African countries evolved during the Oslo process and after its collapse. This article addresses these gaps, arguing that although the Oslo Accords did contribute to the establishment of diplomatic relations with many African countries, the contribution was minor and short-lived, and that common and national interests were more central motivations. It describes the complex nature of more recent developments in Israel-African relations and raises questions about the quality and consequences of bilateral relationships rooted mainly in national and common interests.
This article considers the link between tourism and classic diplomacy as a field of study and pol... more This article considers the link between tourism and classic diplomacy as a field of study and policy. The article focuses on the contribution of tourism to the strengthening of bilateral relations between governments, through analysis of Israeli–Tanzanian relations as a crucial case study. Thus, in addition to the literature that focuses on people-to-people diplomacy and tourism, this article highlights the role that tourism plays in strengthening diplomatic relations between states. Tourism is positioned within the broader context of economic diplomacy, and the interrelationships between tourism and diplomacy—theoretically and practically—are examined. This article finds that tourism is an important tool for promoting bilateral relations between governments in the context of classic diplomacy.
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Papers by Yaron Salman
focused primarily on the United States’s attempt to gain political support at the United
Nations (UN) through foreign aid, this article focuses on the correlation between the
foreign aid provided by Israel to seven African countries and those countries’ voting
patterns in the UN with regard to Israel affairs. This research argues that foreign aid is
a key instrument in Israel’s effort to strengthen its ties in Africa. Its findings highlight a
positive correlation between foreign aid and political support, as expressed by African
countries’ voting patterns at the UN.
decades, from establishment in the 1950s and 1960s, through severance in the
1970s and to strengthening and expansion of the ties today. This chapter discusses
the warming of Israel-Africa relations in the last two decades, analyzes the
motives of Israel and the African countries, and examines the actions Israel has
taken to strengthen those relations. Unlike the 1950s, when values-based motive
stood out among other interests in Israel’s efforts to establish relations in Africa,
today the Israeli motive is mainly expressed as an attempt to gain political support
from African countries within the “battles of legitimacy” conducted within
international organizations in general and in the UN arena in particular, in the
context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Indeed, the voting pattern of African
countries has changed positively for Israel in recent years in a way that is a
testament to the successful development of closer relations. Therefore, this
chapter reviews the Israeli effort to expand relations with African countries, reflected in frequent official visits, security ties, and provision of civilian
assistance.
focused primarily on the United States’s attempt to gain political support at the United
Nations (UN) through foreign aid, this article focuses on the correlation between the
foreign aid provided by Israel to seven African countries and those countries’ voting
patterns in the UN with regard to Israel affairs. This research argues that foreign aid is
a key instrument in Israel’s effort to strengthen its ties in Africa. Its findings highlight a
positive correlation between foreign aid and political support, as expressed by African
countries’ voting patterns at the UN.
decades, from establishment in the 1950s and 1960s, through severance in the
1970s and to strengthening and expansion of the ties today. This chapter discusses
the warming of Israel-Africa relations in the last two decades, analyzes the
motives of Israel and the African countries, and examines the actions Israel has
taken to strengthen those relations. Unlike the 1950s, when values-based motive
stood out among other interests in Israel’s efforts to establish relations in Africa,
today the Israeli motive is mainly expressed as an attempt to gain political support
from African countries within the “battles of legitimacy” conducted within
international organizations in general and in the UN arena in particular, in the
context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Indeed, the voting pattern of African
countries has changed positively for Israel in recent years in a way that is a
testament to the successful development of closer relations. Therefore, this
chapter reviews the Israeli effort to expand relations with African countries, reflected in frequent official visits, security ties, and provision of civilian
assistance.