Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi meets Benjamin Netanyahu and Isaac Herzog as Kinshasa seeks deeper cooperation in security, technology and investment..reports Africa Daily News Desk
Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi held high-level talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, as the two countries sought to strengthen diplomatic relations and expand cooperation across key sectors.
During his meeting with Netanyahu, Tshisekedi discussed potential cooperation in security, defence, agriculture, infrastructure, energy and high technology.
“It is a great friendship that we wish to deepen even further,” Netanyahu said at the start of their meeting.
The talks, held initially between the two leaders before expanding to include their delegations, focused on strengthening ties and consolidating what both sides described as a growing strategic partnership between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Israel.
Tshisekedi later met Israeli President Isaac Herzog, continuing discussions the two leaders had begun during their previous meeting in Kinshasa in November 2025.
The two presidents reaffirmed their intention to build a mutually beneficial partnership and expand cooperation across a range of sectors.
“Our exchanges confirmed our shared desire to give a new dimension to cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the State of Israel,” Tshisekedi said.
He highlighted agriculture and food security, water, healthcare, technology and innovation, security, training and investment as priority areas for future collaboration.
“Our ambition is to build with Israel a modern, pragmatic and mutually beneficial partnership, measured not only by the agreements we sign, but by their implementation and the results they produce for our two peoples,” the Congolese leader said.
Before his meetings with Israel’s two top leaders, Tshisekedi visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, where he paid tribute to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
The Congolese president toured the Holocaust History Museum and the Hall of Names, which documents the identities and stories of Holocaust victims.
His visit included the laying of a wreath and the rekindling of the Flame of Remembrance in the memorial’s crypt in tribute to those killed during the Holocaust.
The gesture reaffirmed the DRC’s opposition to antisemitism, genocide and all forms of hatred, while underlining its commitment to preserving historical memory, his office said.
Tshisekedi had previously made history in 2021 when he became the first Congolese head of state to visit and pay respects at Yad Vashem.
The latest visit signals Kinshasa’s efforts to deepen its engagement with Israel, with both governments now seeking to translate their growing diplomatic relationship into practical cooperation and investment across strategic sectors.
