The Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Thursday that it plans to relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, joining a small group of countries that have taken the diplomatically significant step.
The announcement followed a visit by Congolese President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi. In a joint statement, the two countries said they would begin taking steps toward moving the DRC’s embassy to Jerusalem, according to AFP.
The decision represents a symbolic endorsement of Israel’s claim to Jerusalem as its capital. The city’s status remains one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestinians seeking East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
Most countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv because of the unresolved status of Jerusalem. The United States formally moved its embassy to the city in 2018.
In March, the Israeli government allocated a plot of land in Jerusalem for a permanent US Embassy complex, several years after Washington recognised the city as Israel’s capital.
Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom said expanding international recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and encouraging foreign diplomatic missions to open there remain major national and political priorities for the Israeli government.
