DRC eyes Jerusalem embassy as Tshisekedi seeks Israel's support

The Democratic Republic of Congo plans to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem following talks between President Félix Tshisekedi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a rare diplomatic step that could also strengthen Kinshasa's ties with Washington and its access to military support. The two governments said they would take steps towards “the relocation of the embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem”. No timetable has been given. The move would place the DRC among a small group of countries that recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital by locating their embassy there – an especially unusual position for an African state. DR Congo will receive third-country deportees under new deal with US Previous agreement The announcement should nevertheless be treated cautiously, said Jason Stearns, a specialist on the DRC and Great Lakes region who was interviewed by RFI. “If you look very closely at the press release, they are in discussions about opening embassies,” he said. “I don’t think any timetable has been announced, and it’s phrased in a rather cautious manner.” Tshisekedi and Netanyahu announced an almost identical agreement around three years ago, Stearns noted, but no embassy move followed. “So I think we need to take a slightly nuanced view of what’s happening today,” he said. Tshisekedi has long spoken warmly of Israel and has said his support is partly rooted in his Christian faith. But the latest initiative also reflects Kinshasa's determination to strengthen its relationship with the United States as the Congolese government faces severe military pressure in the east of the country, Stearns said. “Firstly, it strengthens his alliance with his primary ally, which is Washington – that is, Donald Trump – and it helps him present himself in this light to the Republicans in Washington,” he said. Security cooperation The Trump administration has increased pressure on Rwanda over its role in the conflict in eastern DRC, where Kigali is accused of backing the M23 armed group. Tshisekedi's outreach to Israel could therefore serve several purposes at once, Stearns said. “Particularly today, he is under military pressure from Rwanda and the M23, and we are aware of Israel’s capabilities in this regard,” he said. “So I think it’s also a way for him to forge new relations with a military power.” Security and military cooperation were discussed during Tshisekedi's visit. Potential areas of cooperation include intelligence, drones, personal protection and cybersecurity, Stearns said. “There is support in terms of intelligence and drones. That’s mainly it,” he said, adding that there had also been reports – often difficult to verify – of Israeli security involvement in the DRC during the presidency of Joseph Kabila. Tshisekedi may be particularly interested in outside expertise because of concerns over security within the Congolese state itself, Stearns said. “He has arrested dozens of generals and hundreds of senior officers on suspicion of treason and corruption,” he said. “That alone may make it worthwhile to seek external support, such as from Israel.” US shows ‘increasingly blatant’ bias over DRC peace deal, says Rwandan minister A rare diplomatic move Most countries that recognise Israel maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, arguing that Jerusalem's final status should be settled as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, declaring the city its undivided capital. Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Donald Trump broke with decades of US policy in 2018, during his first term as president, by moving the US embassy to Jerusalem. Only a handful of countries have followed, including Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. If carried out, the move would make the DRC the first UN-recognised African state to establish an embassy in Jerusalem. Somaliland, which is not a UN member state, opened an embassy there in June. “Tshisekedi is amongst the few African leaders who are so close to Israel,” Stearns said. DRC and M23 rebels agree on roadmap for peace in eastern Congo Rwanda factor The relationship is complicated by Israel's longstanding ties with Rwanda, which remains locked in a bitter confrontation with Kinshasa over the war in eastern DRC. Israel does not necessarily see any contradiction in maintaining close relations with both countries, Stearns said. “Israel is seeking to extend its influence across Africa in general,” he said. “For them, it’s simply a matter of seeking allies wherever they can, especially in this global context where there aren’t many countries that are particularly favourable towards Israel.” For Kinshasa, closer ties with Israel could potentially offer another way to isolate Kigali. Congolese officials may have raised Israel's relationship with Rwanda during this week's talks, Stearns suggested. “If the Congolese were shrewd in the discussions, that should, I think, be one of the levers,” he said. But the central objective of Tshisekedi's visit may lie beyond Israel itself, he argued. “The primary objective, at least in my view, is to strengthen an alliance with Washington via Israel.” This article has been adapted from an original interview in French by RFI's Christophe Boisbouvier