By Mercy Matonga:
The Malawi Government has reversed its decision to establish an embassy in Jerusalem, Israel, years after committing to the move amid uproar both at home and abroad.
In 2020, government announced that it would establish an embassy in Jerusalem, a city which Israel and Palestinians continue to fight over, with the then Foreign Affairs minister Eisenhower Mkaka announcing the move.
This made Malawi the second country, after the United States, to make such a move.
This week, a Malawian delegation, led by the recently-appointed Secretary to the Treasury Betchani Tchereni, went to Israel to discuss the issue of labour exports and, while in Israel, the team also visited a building to be leased as the Malawi Embassy in Israel
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson John Kabaghe told The Daily Times that government has rescinded the decision following consultations.
“It is, indeed, true that, earlier, Malawi intended to open her embassy in Jerusalem. However, after holding in-depth consultations, Malawi decided to change the location to Tel Aviv, where most countries also have their diplomatic missions. The bottom line is that the mission will work towards promoting Malawi-Israel relations,” Kabaghe said.
Tchereni confirmed visiting the proposed site of the embassy in a separate interview.
“My office’s responsibility is to look into the [issue of] value for money. It [our visit] was simply [meant] to appreciate whether requests we get for funding have value for money,” he said.
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According to sources, David Bisnowarty, a former member of Parliament for Lilongwe City Centre, is currently Charge’ d’ Affairs for Malawi in Israel but the Public Appointments Committee of Parliament (Pac) says it is unaware of his appointment.
Pac Chairperson Joyce Chitsulo told The Daily Times that she was not aware of his appointment but met him during the parliamentary visit to Israel, where they are discussing labour relations between two countries.
“I just saw him but I have no idea about his appointment,” Chitsulo said.
Section 190 of the Public Appointments Act says Parliament must confirm the appointment of ambassadors, high commissioners and important diplomatic staff members.
