Big win as Chad re-establishes relations with Israel

Re-establishing relations. February 1, 2023 – Mahamat Idriss Déby, the son of former Chadian president Idriss Déby Itno, a general and the current transitional president, arrived in Israel on Wednesday to re-establish relations with Israel.

In January 2019, then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Chad to establish diplomatic ties with the African country with the former president, Idriss Déby Itno. Déby assumed the presidency after his father, Itno, was killed in April 2021 as he was fighting Islamic rebels.

“We are strengthening our friendship and our common interests in pursuing peace and security and prosperity. I wish to inform the public and the distinguished guests assembled here that we had very productive excellent discussions yesterday and the fact that we are opening this embassy will help us carry out and expedite the understandings that we reached between Chad and Israel,” Netanyahu said at the embassy opening.

Why it matters. Israel has recently been improving relations with many Muslims countries from Turkey, Kosovo, Azerbaijan and Sudan in addition to the other Abraham Accords countries of the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.

Chad opened up their new embassy in Ramat Gan. It will be currently run by a chargé d’affaires. An ambassador has yet to be appointed.

Israel is already assisting Chad with humanitarian aid. Mashav, the Agency for International Development Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, recently built a new trauma center in the Chadian capital of N’djamena.

By Aaron Gold. Aaron Gold is a writer and the founder of The Hasmonean.

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