Democratic Republic of the Congo–Israel relations

Last updated
Democratic Republic of the Congo–Israel relations
Democratic Republic of Congo Israel Locator.svg
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg
DR Congo 		Flag of Israel.svg
Israel
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tel AvivEmbassy of Israel, Kinshasa

Formal diplomatic relations between Israel and the Democratic Republic of Congo have existed since 1962. Both countries are members of the United Nations. In 1973, like the majority of African countries that previously recognized Israel, Zaire (former name of the DRC) decided to break its relations with Israel after the Yom Kippur War, but reestablished them, unlike other African countries, in the early 1980s. [1]

Contents

In March 2020, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi announced his intention to appoint an ambassador to Israel (where the DRC had, until then, been represented by a chargé d'affaires) and the creation of an economic section in Jerusalem. [2]

History

Early relations

Meeting between heads of state Joseph Kasa-Vubu and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi in Leopoldville (Kinshasa) in 1962. Kasa-Vubu - Ben-Zvi 1962.jpg
Meeting between heads of state Joseph Kasa-Vubu and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi in Léopoldville (Kinshasa) in 1962.

The first meeting between the heads of the two states took place in August 1962, when Israeli President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi went to Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) and met his Congolese counterpart, Joseph Kasa-Vubu. [3]

During the Mobutu presidency (1965–1997)

In October 1973 following the Yom Kippur War, Mobutu decided to break diplomatic ties with Israel, declaring that "Zaire must choose between a friendly country, Israel, and a brother country, Egypt. Now, between a friend and a brother, the choice is clear". [4] Zaire would later become the first African country to re-establish relations with Tel Aviv in 1982, followed by Libéria in 1983, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon in 1986, and Togo in 1987. [1]

During this resumption of relations, Mobutu and Ariel Sharon, Israeli Minister of Defense in Menahem Begin's cabinet, signed a military agreement to train and equip his presidential guard. [5] Sharon also met, through Mobutu, Chadian President Hissène Habré, with whom Israel signed arms delivery contracts in 1983, in the context of the Chadian–Libyan War. [6]

Israel's aid to Zaire continued in 1994 with the signing of a $50 million contract to send around forty Israeli military advisers to Kinshasa. [5]

Modern relations

In 2012, the State of Israel opened an Honorary Consulate in Kinshasa. Aslan Piha was appointed Honorary Consul there until his death on 21 September 2023. To this day, the Honorary Consulate still handles day-to-day affairs without a head of post.

In June 2019, Joseph Kabila, Congolese president from 2001 to 2018, was accused of having recruited former Mossad agents to spy on his opponents. [7]

In March 2020, Félix Tshisekedi, Congolese president since January 2019, travelled to the United States and participated in an annual conference organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He announced a resumption of diplomatic relations at the highest level between his country and Israel, and the upcoming appointment of a Congolese ambassador to Israel, where the Congo had previously been represented for twenty years by a chargé d'affaires. [2]

Tshisekedi also announced the opening of a new commercial section of the DRC Embassy in West Jerusalem (while the embassy itself would remain in Tel Aviv), as well as his support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump This announcement provoked controversy in the DRC, as the plan was considered highly unfavourable to the Palestinians by the international community, and was rejected by the African Union, [4] which Tshisekedi became the president of in 2021. [2]

In response to Al-Aqsa Flood, Tshisekedi condemned the attacks of Palestinian terrorist organisations against Israel. [8]

Areas of cooperation

Humanitarian cooperation

The Israeli NGO Africa 2030 is established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the stated goals of ecological preservation and combating malnutrition. [9]

Dan Gertler affair

Israeli businessman Dan Gertler, based in the DRC since 1997, is one of the main exporters of Congolese minerals, including diamonds, copper and cobalt. His position is explained by a monopoly allegedly granted to him by DRC President Laurent Désiré Kabila, as part of an agreement including financial compensation and arms deliveries from Israel. [10] Since then, several NGOs and foreign governments have accused Gertler of plundering the DRC's resources, corruption, and complicity in the crimes committed by presidents Laurent Désiré et Joseph Kabila (son of the previous president) during the First and Second Congo Wars. [11]

In 2013, the Africa Progress Panel indicated that the businessman deprived the DRC of $1.4 billion in revenue from mining licenses. [10]

In 2017, Dan Gertler was sanctioned by the US treasury alongside fourteen other people, accusing them of repeated violations of human rights. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

The earliest known human settlements in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been dated back to the Middle Stone Age, approximately 90,000 years ago. The first real states, such as the Kongo, the Lunda, the Luba and Kuba, appeared south of the equatorial forest on the savannah from the 14th century onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span>

Politics of the Democratic Republic of Congo take place in a framework of a republic in transition from a civil war to a semi-presidential republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurent-Désiré Kabila</span> President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997–2001

Laurent-Désiré Kabila or more succinctly, Laurent Kabila, was a Congolese rebel and politician who served as the third President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 until his assassination in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> Country in Central Africa

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country in Central Africa. By land area, the DRC is the second-largest country in Africa and the 11th-largest in the world. With a population of around 112 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populous Francophone country in the world. The national capital and largest city is Kinshasa, which is also the economic center. The country is bordered by the Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, the Cabinda exclave of Angola, and the South Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Kabila</span> President of the DR Congo from 2001 to 2019

Joseph Kabila Kabange is a Congolese politician who served as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between January 2001 and January 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination of his father, President Laurent-Désiré Kabila in the context of the Second Congo War. He was allowed to remain in power after the 2003 Pretoria Accord ended the war as the president of the country's new transitional government. He was elected as president in 2006 and re-elected in 2011 for a second term. Since stepping down after the 2018 election, Kabila, as a former president, serves as a senator for life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Léon Kengo wa Dondo</span> Congolese 1st state commissioner

Léon Kengo wa Dondo is a Congolese politician who served as the "first state commissioner" several times under Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaïre. He was one of the most powerful figures in the regime and was a strong advocate of economic globalization and free-market economics. He served as President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2007 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Étienne Tshisekedi</span> Congolese politician (1932–2017)

Étienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba was a Congolese politician and the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the main opposing political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A long-time opposition leader, he served as Prime Minister of the country on three brief occasions: in 1991, 1992–1993, and 1997. He was also the father of the current President, Felix Tshisekedi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stade des Martyrs</span> Building in Africa

The Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte, or simply the Stade des Martyrs, is the national stadium of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), located in the Kinshasa commune of the capital Kinshasa. With a seating capacity of 80,000, it is the largest stadium in the DRC and the fourth-largest stadium in Africa. It serves as the home stadium for the Congolese football national team, AS Vita Club, and DCMP, making it the largest multifunctional venue in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nzanga Mobutu</span> Congolese politician

Nzanga Mobutu is a Congolese politician. A son of the long-time President Mobutu Sese Seko, he served in the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2007 to 2011, initially as Minister of State for Agriculture and subsequently as Deputy Prime Minister for Basic Social Needs and Deputy Prime Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security. He received the fourth-highest number of votes in the 2006 presidential election. In 2007, Nzanga founded the Union of Mobutuist Democrats as the successor to his father's Popular Movement of the Revolution and has led the party since.

Societé minière de Bakwanga is a diamond mining company based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Historically, the company was the largest diamond producer in the world by volume. However, following decades of decline, the company currently produces only a small minority of the DRC's diamonds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palais du Peuple (Kinshasa)</span> Seat of the National Assembly and Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The People's Palace or Palace of the People is the seat of the National Assembly and the Senate in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire. It was completed in 1979 with a line of credit from the People's Republic of China. It has witnessed key moments in the country's political landscape, bearing witness to historic debates, legislative triumphs, and the exercise of democratic values. The building serves as a gathering place for lawmakers and a venue for official ceremonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samy Badibanga</span> Congolese politician

Samy Badibanga Ntita is a Congolese politician who was Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from November 2016 to May 2017. He was also on the ballot for the 2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election as a presidential candidate.

Faustin Munene is a Congolese military officer and politician known for his opposition to Mobutu Sese Seko, leader of Zaïre, and later President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He held a number of senior military posts under Laurent-Désiré Kabila after the fall of Mobutu, including commander of the Force Aérienne Congolaise, the DRC air force, and Deputy Minister of the Interior. Since 2010, he has been living in exile in the neighboring Republic of the Congo, having fled there since being accused by the DRC authorities of plotting a coup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Félix Tshisekedi</span> President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo is a Congolese politician who has been the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 24 January 2019. He is the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the DRC's oldest and largest party, succeeding his late father Étienne Tshisekedi in that role, a three-time Prime Minister of Zaire and opposition leader during the reign of Mobutu Sese Seko. Tshisekedi was the UDPS party's candidate for president in the December 2018 general election, which he was awarded, despite accusations of irregularities from several election monitoring organisations and other opposition parties. The Constitutional Court of the DRC upheld his victory after another opposition politician, Martin Fayulu, challenged the result, but Tshisekedi has been accused of making a deal with his predecessor, Joseph Kabila. The election marked the first peaceful transition of power since the state became independent from Belgium in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolas Kazadi</span> Congolese politician

Nicolas Kazadi is a Congolese politician and career diplomat who has been Ambassador-at-large for the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 7 March 2019 and Minister of Finance since 12 April 2021.

Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba is a Congolese politician who was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May 2019, formally establishing his government in August 2019. He has had a long political career going back to the 1970s, having held a number of ministerial cabinet posts, and was previously a professor at the University of Kinshasa since 1979. Ilunga has also been the secretary general of Congo's national railway company. He has a reputation as an experienced public servant and technocrat, as well as an ally of former President Joseph Kabila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Jacques Lumumba</span>

Jean-Jacques Lumumba is a Congolese banker and whistleblower. In 2016, he revealed that the BGFIBank Group had covered up the embezzlement of tens of millions of dollars worth of public money by DRC president Joseph Kabila and his entourage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominique Sakombi Inongo</span> Congolese politician

Dominique Sakombi Inongo was a Congolese politician and diplomat.

Tharcisse Kasongo Mwema Yamba-Yamba was a Congolese journalist and politician.

Order of the National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba is the highest order of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is awarded to Congolese nationals and foreigners who have rendered merits and loyal services to the nation. The order was instituted in 2002 as a replacement for the National Order of the Leopard. It is named after President Laurent-Désiré Kabila and Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, both of whom were assassinated while in office.

References

  1. 1 2 "Le retour d'Israël sur la scène diplomatique africaine". Franceinfo (in French). 2015-10-05. Retrieved 2020-05-27..
  2. 1 2 3 "Congo et Israël : une reprise de la coopération bilatérale sur fond de polémique". Radio-Canada (in French). 5 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  3. ↑ "LE PRÉSIDENT BEN ZVI en visite privée à Léopoldville". Le Monde.fr (in French). 1962-08-10. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  4. 1 2 "RDC : à Washington, Félix Tshisekedi fait le pari risqué du rapprochement avec Israël – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  5. 1 2 "Kinshasa aurait engagé des Israëliens". Le Soir (in French). 5 February 1997. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Les liaisons dangereuses de Habré : Israël pactise avec le diable (4/5) – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 2015-07-20. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  7. ↑ "Joseph Kabila accusé d'avoir recruté des anciens du Mossad pour espionner l'opposition". France 24 (in French). 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  8. ↑ "Kenya, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo back Israel's genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza". World Socialist Web Site. 15 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Congo: une ONG israélienne engagée pour la protection du gorille de Grauer en danger d'extinction". www.i24news.tv (in French). 25 February 2020.
  10. 1 2 Nahmad, Ezra (2017-09-19). "Le retour conquérant d'Israël en Afrique". Orient XXI (in French). Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  11. ↑ "" Panama papers " : Dan Gertler, roi du Congo et de l'offshore". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  12. ↑ "Yahya Jammeh et Dan Gertler visés par des sanctions du Trésor américain – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.