Middle East Monitor / April 29, 2023
Classified official documents have revealed that Israel systematically bribed top Liberian officials of the murderous dictatorship in order to get their support, Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed on Friday.
The official documents, issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, state that a Liberian envoy to the United Nations (UN) in the 1970s received regular payments — $500 in cash and $500 as gifts.
One of the documents reported Africa’s director at the Foreign Ministry confirming that all Liberian diplomats at the UN in 1970 were bribed.
The same document stated that one of them received a $5,000 payment and had Israel’s assistance to get a position at the UN offices.
Another document stated that a senior official in the Liberian mission at the UN received support from Israel.
According to one of the documents, Israel’s ambassador to Liberia in 1969 shared that Liberia responded to all Israel’s requests at the UN and the African Union.
Haaretz noted that Israel recognized the importance of maintaining its relations with the Liberian regime, which was the first to recognize Israel in Africa and had an Israeli embassy in the country in 1957.
The documents revealed by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Haaretz reported, contradict the claim that Israel does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
