Israeli-Rwandan relations

Relations between the two countries were established shortly after the African state gained independence in July 1962.

At the initiative of the Government of Rwanda, relations were broken on October 8, 1973. The reason was the pressure of the Arab countries on Rwanda due to the participation of Israel in the Doomsday War . ^[2]

Relations between Rwanda and Israel were restored shortly after the end of the Hutu - Tutsi civil war in October 1994 and the formation of a new government. Rwanda sent an ambassador to Israel, but due to financial difficulties, the embassy had to close 6 years later. The embassy opened again in the summer of 2015. Rwanda has a total of 35 embassies around the world (of which 21 are outside of Africa). ^[one]

In May 2008, Rwandan President Paul Kagame visited Israel and participated in the celebration of the 60th anniversary of state independence. ^[3]

In 2013, President Kagame again visited Israel at the invitation of Shimon Peres to attend the Presidential Conference. ^[four]

In April 2014, the non-resident ambassador of Israel in Rwanda, Belainesh Zevadiya, arrived in Kigali to take part in the ceremony dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the end of the civil war and genocide in Rwanda . ^[5]

In June 2014, a 60-day Israeli delegation led by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Rwanda on a two-day visit. He signed a bilateral cooperation agreement with his Rwandan counterpart Louise Mushikiwabo, which allows the establishment of a forum for consultations between the two countries and attract Israeli investment in the country. In addition, a declaration of intent was signed, according to which relations between the two states are strengthened, and a memorandum of understanding, on consultations between the leadership of the two countries. The possibility of extensive investment by Israeli companies in the Rwandan economy was also discussed. ^[6]

In July 2016, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a short state visit to Rwanda. The prime minister especially noted the desire to develop tourism in this country among the Israelis. ^[1] Netanyahu was the first Israeli prime minister to visit the African continent in the last 30 years.

In August 2016, an Israeli-Rwandan parliamentary friendly group was created in the Knesset under the leadership of Avraham Neguise ( Likud ), a member of the Knesset of Ethiopian descent. Negise is also chair of the so-called Lobby for Relations, a parliamentary committee whose goal is to strengthen ties with African countries. ^[7]

In 2017, Rwandan President Paul Kagame spoke at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington , the capital of the United States . He became the first African head of state to declare "Israel's right to exist and prosper" and that "Rwanda is undoubtedly a friend of Israel." ^{[8] [9] [10]}

In July 2017, President Kagame paid another visit to Israel. He met with his colleague Rivlin and Prime Minister Netanyahu. The latter called the Rwandan leader “a great friend of Israel” and thanked him for the support provided by the African state to Israel in various international organizations. ^[eleven]

On November 28, 2017, Netanyahu visited Kenya to attend the inauguration ceremony of re-elected President Uhuru Kenyata. In Kenya, Netanyahu met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and announced the opening of the Israeli Embassy in Rwanda soon. ^[12]

In early December 2017, a parliamentary group arrived in Israel with a three-day visit at the invitation of Knesset Speaker Julius Edelstein to attend the inter-parliamentary summit. African politicians will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Rivlin , and they will also visit Israeli companies working in the field of information security and agriculture. ^[13]

On March 19, 2018, the head of the Israeli defense department Avigdor Liberman visited Rwanda. This is the first ever visit by the Minister of Defense of Israel to this African country. During the visit, Lieberman met with President Paul Kagame, Foreign Minister Louise Mushikivabo and his colleague James Cabareb. ^[fourteen]

In October 2018, the Israeli Foreign Ministry decided to open an embassy in Kigali at the expense of funds released after the closure of the Israeli embassy in Paraguay. Despite the fact that the decision to open the embassy was made back in 2016, the implementation of this step was delayed for financial reasons. ^[fifteen]

In November 2018, it became known about the opening of direct flights between the countries. The Tel Aviv-Kigali route will be served by the Rwandan airline RuandaAir. Initially, the route will run over the Red Sea, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Uganda, however, negotiations are under way to open Sudan airspace for these flights, which will reduce travel time. ^[16] In January 2019, an agreement was signed to open direct flights between Tel Aviv and Kigali. Thus, the capital of Rwanda became the third city in Africa (after Addis Ababa and Johannesburg), to which direct regular flights are carried out from Israel. ^[17]

On February 22, 2019, Israel first opened its embassy in Rwanda. Roni Adam became the first ambassador of the Jewish state in this African country. Until now, the Israeli Embassy in Addis Ababa has been responsible for relations with Rwanda, although the Rwandan Embassy operates in Tel Aviv. ^[18] On April 1, 2019, a grand opening ceremony was held in Kigali, attended by the Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Yuval Rotem. ^[19]

Rwanda generally abstains from voting in the UN on resolutions relating to Israel. So, in 2011, at a vote in UNESCO on granting Palestine the status of a state, or in 2012 at the UN General Assembly when voting on granting Palestine the status of an observer state non-member of the UN. ^[one]

In 2014, Rwanda was one of the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. At a vote, Rwanda, together with Nigeria, abstained from voting, thus depriving the Palestinians of the nine votes they needed to adopt a resolution by which Israel would be obliged to return to the 1967 borders by the end of 2017. Also, due to the fact that the representative of Rwanda abstained from voting, a resolution was not adopted on the establishment of a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem . ^{[1] The} Ambassador of Rwanda to Israel said that the decision on this vote was taken at the highest level. The day after the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Rwandan President Paul Kagame and called him "his friend." Explaining the reasons for voting at the UN, Rwanda’s ambassador to Israel, Rutabana, stated that “Israel is our friend” and “we were convinced of the correctness” of the position of the Jewish state. ^[one]

In September 2015, Rwanda became one of 4 African countries to vote in the IAEA on the issue of international monitoring of Israeli nuclear weapons, which voted in favor of the Jewish state. Other countries that voted the same were Burundi, Kenya and Togo. Another 15 countries, including Ethiopia, which Netanyahu visited earlier, abstained. ^[one]

The countries cooperate in the agricultural sector, irrigation (60% of the territory of Rwanda is farmland) and high technology. In addition, there is cooperation in the military sphere, mine clearance, and border protection. ^[one]

Israeli businessmen are investing in Rwanda, especially in the media, Internet and infrastructure. Israeli companies sell paramedic equipment, training computer programs and, best of all, solar panels. The Israeli company Gigawatt Global is building a field for the production of solar energy near Kigali , which should supply 8% of the country's electricity. ^[5]

Deportation of African Illegals

Along with Uganda, Rwanda is one of the countries with which Israel has signed an agreement to deport illegal African immigrants entering its territory. It is mainly about illegal immigrants from Eritrea and Sudan. Human rights organizations sharply criticize the signed intergovernmental agreement. ^[twenty]

Tali Nates is an Israeli citizen resident in Johannesburg . She is the director of the Israeli-Rwandan Holocaust and Genocide Foundation, a joint educational program to perpetuate the tragedies of two nations. As part of the 4-month educational programs of the foundation, about 120 volunteers are trained, who lecture in various schools across the continent and tell the story of genocide. ^[5] (see the link in the "Links" section)

The Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem hosts annual seminars for genocide survivors of Rwandans. ^[5]

• Genocide in Rwanda

• South African Holocaust and Genocide Foundation