Pro-Israel caucus formed in Zambian parliament
Zambia became the 39th country in the world with a pro-Israel parliamentary caucus at an event Tuesday with ambassador Gershon Kedar, five days after the African state voted against a United Nations resolution condemning rocket fire on Israeli civilians.
The nine members of parliament who are in the caucus intend to lobby their government so Zambia’s voting in the UN will be more pro-Israel in the future.
“We have work to do in Zambia, in light of last week’s UN vote,” Israel Allies Foundation president Josh Reinstein said. “But Zambia is a Bible-believing Christian country, and its people and representatives are staunchly pro-Israel. I believe that this new caucus will reflect that reality through its actions in the future.”
Reinstein said the members of the Zambia Israel Allies Parliamentary Caucus are determined to strengthen the relationship between Israel and Zambia. They will be part of the international network coordinated by Israel Allies Foundation to promote communication between legislators who share a belief that the State of Israel has the right to exist in peace within secure borders.
“We are thrilled that the Zambia-Israel Allies Parliamentary Caucus now joins together with 38 other Israel Allies Caucuses around the world in supporting Israel at a parliamentary level through faith-based diplomacy.” Reinstein said. “Faith based diplomacy is having a major effect in Africa. We will soon see several African countries move their embassies to Jerusalem. Christians are uniting around the cause for Israel all over the world.”
The chairman of the caucus, MP Maxas B Ng’onga, added that “The establishment of the Caucus demonstrates Zambian Parliament’s support for Israel and the importance it places on its relationship with the Jewish state.”
The external director of the caucus, Bishop Scott Mwanza said he hopes that the lobbying efforts of this caucus will lead to noticeable results.
“The caucus wishes that Zambia may become the first African Nation to move the embassy to Jerusalem and that “Zambia will always stand to vote for Israel at the future UN Security Council meetings,” he said.
Mwanza said he hoped Zambia will become the first African nation to move its embassy to Jerusalem.
“This [caucus] is a great milestone both spiritually and politically,” Mwanza said. “It is an honor that our parliament, which was built by Israelis, today can accommodate a caucus in support of Israel. This has brought a lot of joy and excitement to us all in Zambia. This truly shows that we are a Christian Nation remembering our roots of faith.”