Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed safely in Israel late Sunday night following his return flight from his visit in Chad, Africa. But what did Israel gain from formal diplomatic ties with Chad?

When countries like China and India express an interest, as they have in recent years, in significantly upgrading ties with Israel, questions are inevitably raised about what is in it for them. It is clear why Israel wants improved ties with countries that are world powers with markets of well over a billion people. But why are these countries interested in ties with tiny Israel?

And the reply is always the same: security (arms, in the case of India), intelligence, technology and a pathway to Washington.

But with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Chad on Sunday to formally establish ties with the Central African country, this question needs to be reversed. It is clear what Chad – an impoverished, water-starved country engaged in a fight with Boko Haram in the Lake Chad area – wants from Israel. It wants arms and security expertise and intelligence. It wants to learn from Israel’s experience about how to protect its borders. It wants to tap into Israel’s technological expertise regarding water and agriculture. It wants improved ties with America.

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