As a sign of Israel’s growing ties with Africa, President Mahamat Deby of Chad plans on Thursday to inaugurate his country’s embassy in Israel – in Ramat Gan – some five years after the countries established ties.
“Chad and Israel are today at a decisive turning point in their relationship,” Deby told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the two men met in Jerusalem on Wednesday, in what is the Chadian leader’s first official visit to Israel since he took office last year.
The Muslim-majority African country established formal diplomatic ties with Israel in 1961, a year after it was founded but those ties were cut in 1972 to protest Israel’s retention of the territory it captured during the Six Day War of 1967.
During his last tenure in office which ended in 2021, Netanyahu pushed to expand Israel’s ties with the African continent, restoring ties with Chad in 2019, which at the time was under the leadership of Deby’s father, Idriss.
Chad’s strategic location amid African countries struggling with Islamist insurgencies makes it of special interest to Israel.
Deby was greeted in Israel with enormous diplomatic fanfare, meeting with President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Mossad Chief David Barnea and planting an olive tree of peace at the Jewish National Fund’s (KKL-JNF) Grove of Nations in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu told Deby that Chad signified a “tremendously important relationship with a major country in the heart of Africa. It is something that we want to carry to new levels, new heights, and your visit here in Israel and the opening of the embassy is a reflection of that.
“We believe that our cooperation can help not only advance our relations and our cooperation but it is also part of Israel’s coming back to Africa and Africa coming back to Israel. We have common goals of security, prosperity and stability,” he added.
Herzog pointed to the differences in religion between the two states.
“I believe in the brave dialogue between the Jewish world and the world of Islam. I extend my hand in dialogue and I think you are a brave leader who is following in the footsteps of your brave father, and your courage, both yours and your father’s, will go down in history when it comes to the progress in relations between Israel and Muslim and African countries,” Herzog said.
Deby spoke in his meetings of his admiration for Israel, which he described in his Herzog meeting as the “cradle of civilization and monotheistic religions.” His country, Deby said, has worked to support Israel in international forums.
“Since the normalization of relations, Chad has consistently and stridently provided diplomatic and political support to the State of Israel, in all international forums, and wherever necessary. We make this choice fully understanding its results and completely conscious of its significance,” Deby said.
He credited the informal security ties between the two countries that had existed prior to 2019, with creating the basis for normalization.
“I want to commend Mossad and the Chadian intelligence services for their decisive contribution, as the architects who with their own hands built the relations between us.
“I want to ask them and encourage them to keep up their work in order to enable the strengthening of relations and more visits on both sides,” he said.
Deby attends a Mossad event
At a celebratory event with Deby at Mossad headquarters, Mossad Director David Barnea said, “The Republic of Chad is another important Muslim state on the African continent with which the State of Israel is building diplomatic relations. Broadening the circle of partner nations is an important goal for the long-term strategy of the State of Israel.
“My hope is that additional leaders in the Middle East and Africa will gain inspiration from this important agreement and will also make progress in their relations with Israel.”
Barnea added, “The Mossad will continue to act with all of its abilities to open and progress connections with any state or leader with which the State of Israel has an interest to strive for a peace deal.”
While in the prime minister’s office, Deby also met with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, the prime minister’s Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi, Netanyahu’s Military Secretary Maj.-Gen. Avi Gil and Israel’s non-resident Ambassador to Chad, Ben Bourgel.
His own delegation included: Foreign Minister Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Defense Minister Daoud Yaya Brahim, Head of the Presidential Cabinet Idriss Youssouf Boy and Director of the Secret Services Gen. Ahmed Kogri.
Reuters contributed to this report.