DR Congo reiterates plan to move embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has reiterated its decision to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The announcement followed a visit to Israel by President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi and was set out in a joint statement on Thursday. It makes the DRC the latest country to signal a shift in its diplomatic posture toward Jerusalem.

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According to the statement, both sides said they would take steps toward relocating the embassy. The plan revives a commitment first made in September 2023, when Tshisekedi met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In 2020, Tshisekedi had already announced plans to appoint an ambassador to Israel after two decades and to establish an economic section of the embassy in Jerusalem while the main mission remained in Tel Aviv.

The relationship has since broadened further, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog visiting Kinshasa in November. Tshisekedi has spoken positively about Israel for years and has linked that position to his Christian faith. He has also sought support from the United States, which has increased pressure on Rwanda over armed rebel advances in the DRC.

The latest announcement therefore sits at the intersection of diplomacy, religion and regional security concerns. The move is significant because Jerusalem remains one of the most sensitive issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel considers the whole city its capital and has encouraged foreign governments to place embassies there.

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Palestinians want occupied East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future Palestinian state, while most countries keep their embassies in the Tel Aviv area and say Jerusalem's final status should be decided through negotiations. The DRC's statement also comes amid a wider pattern of governments announcing embassy moves or similar steps toward Jerusalem. The United States relocated its embassy there in 2018 during Donald Trump's first term, and countries including Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay have followed.

Kosovo and Somaliland also maintain missions in the city that they describe as embassies, although they are not UN member states. What remains unclear is the timetable for the DRC's move and what practical steps will follow. The statement did not give a date for relocation, and it is not yet clear how quickly the plan will advance.

The issue is likely to remain closely watched because any embassy move to Jerusalem carries diplomatic weight well beyond bilateral ties between the DRC and Israel.

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