Yotam Gidron is a PhD student in African history at Durham University and author of Israel in Africa: Security, Migration, Interstate Politics.
Israel has achieved a diplomatic coup by becoming an "observer" state at the African Union. Its goal is to undermine Palestinian efforts to win support for their struggle on the African continent.
In the years after its violent formation, Israel tried to position itself as a member of the rising anti-colonial world. And today, despite its obvious role as an occupier, Israel is trying the same thing: establishing ties to African countries to shield Israel from criticisms that it's an apartheid state.