Umamah Bakharia | ub@radioislam.co.za

2 min read
1 February 2023 | 17:30 CAT

Chad will open an embassy in Israel to build on bilateral relations that were established five years ago as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tries to strengthen ties across the globe.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu & Chadian president, Mahamat Deby.
Picture: Al Jazeera

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the Chadian president, Mahamat Deby would officiate the embassy inauguration.

This comes as Deby’s office confirmed that the is on a 48-hour state visit to Israel.

Chad had cut ties with Israel in 1972 after the African Union formerly known as the Organization of African Unity, decided that its member states cut diplomatic ties with Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

However, in November 2018, former Chadian President Idriss Deby, paid a historic visit to Israel during which he encouraged cooperation between the the two countries committing to a new era.

Netanyahu then visited Chad in January 2019, and the following year Israel signed normalisation agreements with Morocco, Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates as part of an effort to push diplomatic ties by former United States President Donald Trump.

Palestinians who condemned the agreement saw this move as a “stab in the back” with fears that the partnerships will weaken a long-standing pan-Arab position that calls for Israelis withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territories.

It was not immediately clear where the Chadian embassy would be located. However, most country embassies are located in Tel Aviv.