President Felix Tshisekedi travelled to Jerusalem this week for talks that have pushed DRC-Israel relations into a new phase. The Congolese leader met President Isaac Herzog at the President’s Residence on Tuesday. He arrived with a senior delegation from Kinshasa.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the two presidents spoke privately for more than an hour. Their delegations joined the conversation afterwards. Herzog later hosted Tshisekedi for dinner, joined by the foreign ministers of both countries and members of each delegation.
Security cooperation featured heavily on the agenda. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said comprehensive discussions covered strengthening security and economic ties. Progress on the peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda was also raised. That agreement, brokered with American involvement, remains central to stability in eastern Congo, where armed conflict has displaced millions.
Tshisekedi was also received by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu welcomed him as proof of what he called a great friendship between the two nations. Building stronger DRC-Israel relations has become a steady thread in Congolese foreign policy over the past year. This comes even as Kinshasa manages a fragile security situation along its eastern border.
Tuesday’s meeting builds on groundwork laid last November. Herzog travelled to Kinshasa then, on his first visit to Central Africa. During that trip, Tshisekedi pointed to openings for Israeli firms in mining, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, science, education and health. Those sectors still anchor DRC-Israel relations today. This latest visit leaned more towards security than commerce.
The diplomatic history between the two countries is not straightforward. Congo established relations with Israel soon after independence in 1960. Ties were severed in 1973 under pressure from the Arab League, following the Yom Kippur War. Then-president Mobutu Sese Seko described the break at the time as choosing between a friend and a brother. Ties were restored decades later, and DRC-Israel relations have warmed steadily since.
Herzog thanked Tshisekedi for Congo’s support of Israel in international forums, a point picked up by JNS in its coverage of the visit. He said Israel places significant weight on expanding its relations across Africa. Congo, he added, is one of several fields of cooperation the country is investing in in the region.
A friendship caucus set up within Israel’s parliament has also helped keep momentum behind DRC-Israel relations. It gives lawmakers on both sides a standing channel to push bilateral projects forward outside formal state visits.
For Kinshasa, closer DRC-Israel relations offer access to fresh investment and security expertise. This matters at a time when the government is stretched thin by conflict in the east. Whether this week’s talks lead to signed agreements will depend on follow-through from both capitals. Officials on both sides have promised as much before, without always delivering it in full.
