DR Congo joins countries pledging embassy move to Jerusalem

The announcement revives a 2023 commitment by President Tshisekedi and comes as several governments signal plans to deepen diplomatic ties with Israel.

Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, shown here at the African Water Forum in July, has strengthened ties with Israel [File: Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP]

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reiterated its decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, becoming the latest country to announce such plans.

Following a visit to Israel by President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi, both countries said in a statement on Thursday that they would take steps towards “the relocation of the embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem”, AFP news agency reported.

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The plan dates back to September 2023, when Tshisekedi met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In 2020, the DRC president announced plans to appoint an ambassador to Israel after two decades and establish an economic section of the embassy in Jerusalem while the embassy remained in Tel Aviv.

The relationship has since expanded. Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the DRC capital, Kinshasa, in November. Tshisekedi has spoken warmly about Israel for years, saying his support is driven by his Christian faith. He has also been eager for support from the United States, which has increasingly pressured Rwanda over armed rebel advances in the DRC.

Why does the embassy move matter?

The announcement comes weeks after Colombia’s new hard-right president, Abelardo de la Espriella, also announced that he would move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem, a sharp shift from his leftist predecessor who criticised Israel over its genocidal war on Gaza.

The United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term. Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay have followed.

Kosovo and Somaliland, which are not UN member states, also maintain missions they consider embassies in the city.

Jewish settlers atop buildings in Jerusalem’s Old City on October 9, 2025 [Gazi Samad/Anadolu via Getty Images]

Most countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel keep their embassies in the Tel Aviv area, maintaining that Jerusalem’s final status should be determined through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

Israel considers the entire city its capital and has encouraged foreign governments to establish embassies there. Palestinians want occupied East Jerusalem to serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

The UN Security Council has rejected measures seeking to alter the status of Jerusalem and has called on countries not to establish diplomatic missions there.

该声明重申了齐塞克迪总统在 2023 年作出的承诺，与此同时，多个国家的政府也表示计划深化与以色列的外交关系。

刚果民主共和国总统费利克斯·齐塞克迪（如图，摄于7月非洲水论坛）加强了与以色列的关系。[图片：Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP]

刚果民主共和国（刚果（金））重申了将其驻以色列大使馆迁至耶路撒冷的决定，成为最新一个宣布此类计划的国家。

据法新社报道，在费利克斯-安托万·齐塞克迪总统访问以色列后，两国于周四发表声明称，将采取措施“把刚果民主共和国大使馆从特拉维夫迁至耶路撒冷”。

以色列总理称以色列正试图推翻伊朗政府（共4条，此为第1条）

列表 2/4：加沙医生阿布·萨菲亚在以色列监狱遭受酷刑，至今仍未停止：你需要了解什么

以色列对加沙的围困迫使牙医在街头行医（共4条记录，此为第3条）

以色列在加沙杀害3人，极右翼部长计划驱逐巴勒斯坦人（共4条，此为第4条）

该计划可以追溯到 2023 年 9 月，当时齐塞克迪在纽约联合国大会上会见了以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡。

2020 年，刚果民主共和国总统宣布计划在二十年后任命一名驻以色列大使，并在耶路撒冷设立大使馆经济处，而大使馆仍留在特拉维夫。

此后，两国关系不断深化。以色列总统伊萨克·赫尔佐格于11月访问了刚果民主共和国首都金沙萨。多年来，齐塞克迪一直对以色列表示热情支持，称其支持源于他的基督教信仰。他也一直渴望得到美国的支持，因为美国不断向卢旺达施压，要求其停止在刚果民主共和国境内的武装叛乱活动。

大使馆搬迁为何如此重要？

几周前，哥伦比亚新​​任极右翼总统阿韦拉多·德拉埃斯普里利亚也宣布，他将把哥伦比亚大使馆迁至耶路撒冷。这与他的左翼前任截然不同，后者曾批评以色列对加沙发动种族灭绝战争。

美国在唐纳德·特朗普总统的第一任期内，于2018年将大使馆迁至耶路撒冷。斐济、危地马拉、洪都拉斯、巴布亚新几内亚和巴拉圭也相继效仿。

科索沃和索马里兰虽然不是联合国成员国，但也在该市设有代表处，它们视之为大使馆。

2025年10月9日，耶路撒冷老城，犹太定居者站在建筑物顶部。[Gazi Samad/Anadolu via Getty Images]

大多数与以色列建立外交关系的国家都将大使馆设在特拉维夫地区，坚持认为耶路撒冷的最终地位应该通过以色列人和巴勒斯坦人之间的谈判来确定。

以色列将整个耶路撒冷城视为其首都，并鼓励外国政府在那里设立大使馆。巴勒斯坦人则希望被占领的东耶路撒冷成为未来巴勒斯坦国的首都。

联合国安理会拒绝了旨在改变耶路撒冷地位的措施，并呼吁各国不要在那里设立外交使团。