Chadian President Idriss Déby was scheduled to arrive in Israel on Sunday for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem. His visit is the first by a leader of the Muslim central African nation, which severed bilateral ties with Israel in 1972.
"This is a historic meeting," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. "This is the first visit by a Chad president since Israel's establishment. It follows exerted diplomatic efforts led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent years."
Netanyahu and Déby will meet privately and then hold a joint press conference before dining together, the Prime Minister's Office said.
Netanyahu described the visit "another diplomatic breakthrough."
The prime minister has made great efforts in recent years to extend Israeli diplomacy to Africa and has visited the continent several times. The aim is to seek allies among developing countries that have historically sided with the Palestinians at the U.N. and in other international forums.
"Israel welcomes H.E. [His Excellency] Idriss Déby, president of the Republic of Chad, on a historic visit!!! Israel returns to Africa – Africa returns to Israel!" Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon tweeted.
In 2016, then-Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold visited Chad and met with Déby to discuss restoring diplomatic ties with Israel.
At the time, Gold declined to comment on the visit, saying only that it was in line with Netanyahu's diplomatic efforts in Africa.
Chad, with which Israel had previously maintained close relations, wields considerable regional power and currently holds the presidency of the African Union, in which Israel seeks to obtain observer status.
Despite not maintaining formal ties with Israel, Chad continued to have a close relationship with Israeli advisers and Déby has often been quoted as praising Israel and its security forces.
