Israel will open an embassy in Kinshasa and has named Kobi Shoshani as its resident ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the Congolese government prepares to relocate its diplomatic mission in Israel to Jerusalem.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar approved the new embassy Sunday and selected Shoshani, a career diplomat who previously served as consul general in Mumbai and held other diplomatic posts, to lead the mission.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is expected to become the 11th country to establish a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.
The two countries had outlined plans for the reciprocal diplomatic moves following a September 1, 2026, meeting in Jerusalem between Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A joint declaration issued after the meeting said the governments would continue consultations “with a view to the opening of a resident embassy of the State of Israel in Kinshasa and the transfer of the embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.”
At the time, neither government provided a firm schedule for implementing the plans, and the declaration committed the countries to further discussions.
Sa’ar later met his Congolese counterpart, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, and said the two diplomatic moves would proceed alongside each other.
“We will advance the relocation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s embassy to Jerusalem,” he said, adding that the process would proceed alongside the opening of an ‘Israeli’ embassy in Kinshasa.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon also welcomed the planned relocation. Danon said Tshisekedi had spoken about his “deep personal connection to Jerusalem” more than a decade ago and was now “turning that vision into reality.”