Israel opens embassy in Zambia after 52 years

After more than two decades of diplomatic quiet, Israel has reopened its embassy in Lusaka, marking a renewed chapter in its relationship with Zambia and the wider African continent.

The Israeli embassy in Zambia officially reopened on 20 August, marking the first time its flag has flown over Lusaka in 52 years.

Israel and Zambia first established diplomatic ties in 1966, two years after Zambia gained independence from the United Kingdom, with a large presence of Israelis in the country in the 1960s and 1970s. But relations were severed at the behest of the Organisation of African Unity in the wake of the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and several Arab countries, and Israel’s diplomatic presence across Africa became greatly reduced.

Ambassador of Israel to Zambia, Ofra Farhi, said that Israel began reestablishing diplomatic ties in Africa in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with Zambia and Israel reestablishing their relationship in 1991.

“In the 1960s and 1970s, we had about 30 Israeli embassies around Africa. Now we have 11,” she said, “So the distribution of embassies was a bit different, and Zambia was taken care of for a while by South Africa, then by Kenya. Then, the decision was that Zambia would get more attention if [the job] was done by a non-resident ambassador from Israel.”

For four years, Farhi served as Israel’s non-resident ambassador to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, working to strengthen ties with Zambia, which though it re-established relations with Israel in 1991, opened an embassy in Tel Aviv only in 2015.

Farhi has served as a career diplomat for more than 30 years, where she worked in the United States, Italy, and finally Zambia, which fulfilled a childhood wish of hers.

“I have been in love with Africa since I was a child. My uncle and my aunt used to live in Zambia, of all places,” she said, “They were emissaries of an Israeli international co-operation organisation. My uncle was an emissary in the 1960s in Zambia. When I grew up, I always heard good stories about Africa, specifically, Zambia. It was a personal mission to close the circle.

“I thought there was a need for Israel to have a greater presence in the southern part of the continent,” she said. “I was glad to see that the current foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, also liked the idea of establishing more embassies, and so Zambia was chosen.”

Farhi said Zambia had been home to a strong Jewish community. Litvak Jews first came to Zambia at the end of the 19th century, and many settled in the capital, Livingstone. Reaching about 1 000 Jews at its peak, its members included significant figures in Zambia’s economic and political life. “One of the most prominent people was Simon Zukas,” she said, “Simon was very active in the liberation movement of Zambia.”

Similarly, Harry Wulfsohn left Latvia for Zambia in 1929 at just 14, with £10 in his pocket and no English. Under the mentorship of Harry Susman, he built a vast business empire of farms, cattle, butcheries, retail stores, and Zambezi Sawmills. His son, Edwin Wulfsohn, later partnered with the Lusaka Jewish community to link Tel Aviv University (TAU) with the Council for Zambian Jewry, leading to the creation of the Zambian Jewish Community Public Health Wing at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine.

“Today, the community is really small, very few people are left from the original community, and you have a few dozen Israelis that are living in Zambia and working,” said Farhi.

South African Zionist Federation spokesperson Rolene Marks, said, “Zambia has chosen partnership, progress, and innovation. By welcoming Israel back, it has unlocked opportunities in life-saving medical technology, agricultural expertise, water solutions, cyber security, and economic growth.

“We warmly welcome these growing ties between Israel and Africa. They represent not only a strengthening of diplomatic relations but a future of shared progress, development, and mutual benefit across the continent,” she said.

“South Africa, meanwhile, has chosen isolation,” Marks said. “Driven by ideology rather than the interests of its people, our government rejects the very partnerships that could help fight unemployment, hunger, energy shortages, and the collapse of our healthcare system.”

Sa’ar led the inauguration ceremony, joined by Zambian Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe. Together, they signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen bilateral ties across fields like agriculture, health, and diplomacy.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be here in Lusaka and open Israel’s embassy,” Sa’ar said during his speech at the opening ceremony, alongside Haimbe. “It’s a truly emotional moment to raise our flag – the Israeli flag – and to hear Hatikvah, here in Zambia, after 52 years.”

Sa’ar said that the new embassy marked the beginning of a new chapter between their nations. “Relations between our countries aren’t only based on common interests,” he said. “They are also rooted in shared values. These are relations between two nations of believers: believers in ancient traditions based on the holy Bible. I know that together, we will do great things.”

Farhi believes that through the reopening of the embassy, Israel will become instrumental in Zambian society. “Zambia is suffering from drought, and Israel has strengths in agriculture and water management. Last year, after the national disaster was declared, we immediately had a course in Israel for water engineers to come to see how we are dealing with the lack of water. A second course is supposed to start at the beginning of September,” she said.

“We’re trying to be active also in the health sector, where we’re strong. We started a project that will be inaugurated in 2026 for an intensive care unit at the hospital in Livingstone. Now that I’ll be sitting here, the sky’s the limit.”