Democratic Republic of Congo will move its Israel embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday.
Netanyahu, who met Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi during the UN General Assembly, announced in a statement that Israel would also be opening an embassy in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Only a handful of countries have their embassies in Jerusalem, with most others maintaining their diplomatic representation in the coastal city of Tel Aviv, Israel’s main economic hub.
Why is the move to Jerusalem a big deal?
While Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there, most of the world does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, believing its status should be resolved in negotiations.
Palestinians want the capital of an independent state in the city’s eastern sector, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War.
