ISRAEL: Into Africa via The Back Door

The daily Johannesburg Star described it as "an enigmatic embrace." Said one South African expert: "Politics make strange bedfellows and fear and loneliness even stranger ones."

That combination of politics, fear and loneliness is probably the best explanation for a blossoming friendship between Israel and South Africa. Trade between the two has multiplied from $3 million in 1961 to $120 million currently. Impressive mutual technical assistance programs are under way. Last year diplomatic relations between Jerusalem and Pretoria were raised to full ambassadorial level. Last week, in a striking climax to these...

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