Uganda woos Israeli investors

The visiting Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Israel (The Knesset), Yehiel Hilik Bar, has promised support to Uganda from the Israeli government as they work together to take the relationship between the two countries to greater heights.

Hilik made the remarks yesterday while paying a courtesy call to the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, who was in the company of the state minister for finance in charge of planning, David Bahati and a group of MPs. "Israel and Uganda will have a lot to do. We shall be helping Uganda in many areas such as health, economy, technology and innovations," he stated.

Hilik expressed gratitude that Ugandans had welcomed him. "The people here are the biggest resource. I am here on a private vacation, but everywhere, including markets, I was welcomed with unusual happiness. Ugandans are hospitable and calm," he said. Speaking on a lighter note about Col. Felix Kulayigye who had introduced himself as one of the army MPs, Hilik said: "In Israel, a soldier can only become an MP three years after he has left the army. Maybe we also need to be like you."

Explaining how Israel shares a lot of history with Uganda, Hilik said the Israel operation at Entebbe airport is studied by all students in schools. "It was in that operation that the brother of our current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was killed. That is why we feel so close to Uganda because we have shared history," he narrated. During the July 3, 1976 operation for rescuing 246 Israeli passengers who had been held hostage aboard Air France and brought to Uganda, the assault unit commander, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, was killed.

Also killed were all the four hijackers, 45 Ugandan soldiers and three hostages. Referring to the story of the Uganda Martyrs, which brings many tourists from across the globe, Kadaga asked Hilik to interest

Israelis to choose Uganda as their preferred tourism destination. "This is a country of Uganda Martyrs who died for Christianity whose origin is Israel. We celebrate those martyrs every June 3. We also celebrate February 16, the day another martyr Bishop Janani Luwum, was killed by Idi Amin," she explained.

Bahati, who is the chairperson of the Uganda-Israel Friendship Parliamentary Caucus, appealed to Israel to help Uganda in the areas of technology, especially technologies for boosting Uganda's agriculture. He also asked the Israeli government to interest many Jewish businesspeople to invest in Uganda.

Bahati appealed to the Israeli government to establish an embassy in Uganda so that Ugandans do not have to always go to the Israeli embassy in Nairobi. Sam Lyomoki, the vice-chairperson of the Uganda-Israel Friendship Parliamentary Caucus, said they formed the caucus to always pray for and support Israeli causes because the Bible says whoever blesses Israeli will be blessed.

David Benshitrit, a leading Israeli investor in Uganda, said he would interest more Jewish tycoons to invest in Uganda.