Paper short abstract:

This paper will examine the evolution of ties between Israel and Zambia through the history of Israeli aid schemes in Zambia. We will examine the political and ideological currents that gave rise to the cooperation between the two countries, and circumstances that lead to its demise.

Paper long abstract:

In 1966, President Kenneth Kaunda invited Israeli planners to establish a series of cooperative settlements in the Copperbelt Region of Zambia. These cooperatives were to be patterned along the lines of the Israeli moshav, and include clusters of cooperative settlements outside the mining towns of the Copperbelt. Israeli agricultural experts arrived to the Kafuba and Kafulafuta settlements, where they divided settlers into clearly demarcated plots. Farmers built their houses and planted vegetable gardens, and Israeli experts taught new techniques in poultry farming and dairy production. Within three years, these cooperative farms became the main suppliers of eggs and dairy to the expanding urban populations of the Copperbelt. President Kaunda was immensely pleased with the success of the initiative, as previous efforts to establish cooperatives in Zambia had failed. The moshav model was declared the key to his vision for democratic socialism known as "humanism," and plans were made for expansion. But before this could be realised, Kaunda abruptly severed ties with Israel in the wake of the October 1973 War. The Israelis were expelled from Zambia, and the moshav program came to an abrupt end. This paper will examine the evolution of ties between Israel and Zambia through the history of Israeli aid schemes in Zambia. We will examine the political and ideological currents that gave rise to the cooperation between the two countries, as well as the complex and varied circumstances that lead to its demise.