Watan-The Democratic Republic of the Congo has responded to claims circulated by Israeli media regarding talks between the two sides regarding Kinshasa accepting Palestinian refugees from Gaza.
Patrick Muyaya, the spokesperson for the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stated on social media that there are no talks, discussions, or initiatives related to what Israeli media has reported about the Congo accepting Palestinian refugees on its territory.
#RDC : Contrairement à ce qui est rapporté dans certains médias, « il n’y a jamais eu une quelconque forme de négociation, de discussion ou d’initiative entre notre Gouvernement 🇨🇩 et le Gouvernement israélien 🇮🇱 sur le prétendu accueil des migrants palestiniens sur le sol…
— Patrick Muyaya (@PatrickMuyaya) January 4, 2024
Israeli claims of an agreement with the Congo
This comes in response to a report from the Hebrew-language “Times of Israel,” which claimed that Israeli officials held secret talks with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and several other countries regarding the potential acceptance of Palestinian migrants from Gaza.
The website quoted an unnamed high-level source in the Israeli Mini-Cabinet as saying, “The Congo would be willing to receive migrants, and we are in talks with others.”
Israeli reports on negotiations with other countries
In a related context, Israeli reports mentioned Tel Aviv engaging in talks with Chad and Rwanda to accommodate Palestinians from Gaza as part of its voluntary relocation plan for the Gaza Strip’s residents.
The Israeli news site “Zman Israel” stated that officials from the Mossad (intelligence agency) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are negotiating with Rwanda and Chad to accommodate Palestinians who choose to migrate from Gaza.
Israeli Mini-Cabinet as saying, “The Congo would be willing to receive migrants, and we are in talks with others.”
And Israel is offering a package of assistance to countries, under which any Palestinian who decides to migrate there would receive a generous financial grant, in addition to extensive aid to the receiving country, including military assistance,” the source added.
The Israeli political source was quoted by the website as saying that both parties (Chad and Rwanda) expressed their fundamental agreement to continue the discussion, unlike other countries (not named) that rejected the idea in principle and have not been contacted again.
And Israel is offering a package of assistance to countries, under which any Palestinian who decides to migrate there would receive a generous financial grant, in addition to extensive aid to the receiving country, including military assistance,” the source added.
The Israeli political source was quoted by the website as saying that both parties (Chad and Rwanda) expressed their fundamental agreement to continue the discussion, unlike other countries (not named) that rejected the idea in principle and have not been contacted again.