Page 170 - The Winter of Islam and the Spring to Come

THE WINTER OF ISLAM AND THE SPRING TO COME
168

Following a military trip to Ethiopia led by Gen. Haim Bar-Lev in 1971,
Halep and Fatima two strategically important Ethiopian islands, were
opened to use by the Israeli Navy.
The Eritrean Muslims were well aware of the alliance they were
facing, of course. Abu Halid, leader of the Muslim Eritrean forces, dis-
cussed it during an interview in 1970 which was covered by the Turkish
press:
Ethiopia and Israel have combined their destinies. Israeli officers
train the Ethiopian soldiers who cut Muslims' throats… The war of
June 5, 1967 broke out on the pretext of the closure of the Gulf of
Aqaba by Egypt. Israel wants to see the port of Eilat and the gulf kept
open, since they are the doors to its trade with the Eastern world. If we
in Eritrea manage to achieve independence, we could close this water-
way to Israel in cooperation with southern Yemen south of the Red
Sea. That is why Israel is helping the Ethiopians. 40
The Israeli officers who trained the Ethiopian commandoes and

anti-terrorist teams were also important in keeping Haile Selassie in
power. According to Gen. Matityahu Peled, formerly the most senior
official in the Israeli army, Selassie was saved from three attempted
coups by sraeli agents who were particularly influential in the Addis
Ababa secret police.
The Israeli agents did little to intervene against the Marxist coup
staged to overthrow Selassie in 1974. That was because the new regime
would be one entirely in accordance with their own standards, and
would continue to wage the war against the Eritrean Muslims. As
Professor Hallahmi puts it, "The continuing ties with Israelis were ex-
plained by the common stance of the two countries against Islamic
groups in the region." 41
The work of the Israeli experts on Ethiopian territory continued
apace under the Marxist Mengistu regime. They continued to train the
Ethiopian anti-insurgency teams and to provide weapons for the
regime. This alliance, founded on an enmity towards Islam, was
strengthened further in 1990 when Israel sent fragmentation bombs to
the regime to be used against "separatist militants."