Democratic Republic of Congo to open embassy in Jerusalem
The Congo has agreed to open an embassy in Jerusalem, while Israel has agreed to open an embassy in Kinshasa
The Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Thursday that it would relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, following meetings between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi in Jerusalem this week.
Israel agreed to open a new resident embassy in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC.
Currently, Israel has no permanent embassy in the Congo, although an Honorary Consulate is present in Kinshasa.
Tshisekedi has served as president of the DRC since 2019, during which time he has moved the country closer to Israel, including reopening full relations.
He appointed the first Congolese ambassador in 2020 and opened an economic section of the embassy in Jerusalem.
Tshisekedi also supported Donald Trump's 2020 peace plan for the region, in the face of stern opposition from the African Union.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar hailed the announcement and touted his legacy of increasing the number of foreign embassies in Jerusalem from five to 11 during his tenure.