UPDATES WITH NEW REMARKS
By Osama al-Ghasani
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced the official resumption of ties with Chad.
“Chad President Idriss Deby and I announced the resumption of diplomatic relations between Chad and Israel,” Netanyahu tweeted.
<p>Netanyahu headed to the North-Central African nation on Sunday for talks aimed at restoring diplomatic relations between Tel Aviv and N'Djamena. </p> <p>There have been “changes in relations between Israel and the Arab world,” Haaretz quoted Netanyahu as saying during a joint press conference with Deby, adding that he would be visiting some Arab countries “very soon,” without naming them.</p> <p>Netanyahu described his visit to Chad as “part of the revolution we are having in the Arab and Muslim world.” </p> <p>Deby, for his part, told the conference that restoring ties with Israel “won’t eliminate the Palestinian problem,” according to Haaretz.</p> <p>"The purpose of your visit is to bring our two countries closer and to cooperate," Haaretz quoted Deby as telling Netanyahu.</p> <p>"I am now leaving on another historic and important breakthrough, to Chad, a huge Muslim country bordering Libya and Sudan," The Times of Israel quoted Netanyahu as saying in statements ahead of his trip.</p> <p>"There will be big news," Netanyahu said, hinting at the formal resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries. </p> <p>Chad severed diplomatic relations with Israel in 1972. </p> <p>The Israeli premier claimed earlier Sunday that Iran and the Palestinians have attempted to “prevent Israel’s diplomatic push.” </p> <p>“It greatly worries, even greatly angers [them],” he said. </p> <p>Israeli Channel 10 reported Saturday night that Netanyahu is expected to offer his government's support for preventing militants infiltrating Chad from Libya. </p> <p>Netanyahu's delegation to Chad includes senior officials from the defense and finance ministries, in an indication of his target to boost military and trade ties with Chad. </p> <p>The Chadian president had made a rare visit to Israel last November. </p>
