On december 5th, 2017, the Knesset hosted six African heads of parliament - from Ghana, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Events at the Knesset on this scale are quite out of the ordinary, and official visits by more than two heads of parliament at the same time are extremely rare. 

Speaker Yuri Edelstein highlighted “one of the largest and most significant conferences ever held at the Knesset,” adding that “the cooperation with countries in the African continent is of the highest importance from a diplomatic and economic standpoint, and all sides benefit from it. “

The Knesset strives to strengthen its ties with as many parliaments as possible, forge partnerships in various fields, and increase Israel’s participation in various inter-parliamentary organizations. To do so, it established the International Affairs Division, which is responsible for these activities, and the Seminar for Heads of Parliament is certainly the crowning achievement of the efforts to date.

  • African Heads of Parliament (Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Ghana, Rwanda) at the Knesset
  • Seminar for Heads of Parliament
  • Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein meeting with Tanzanian counterpart, Job Ndugai Copyright: Archive Photo: Knesset Media and Public Relations Division
  • Tanzania Speaker, Mr. Job Ndugai and Israeli Speaker Mr. Yuri Edelstein
  • President of Israel Mr Reuven Rivlin welcomes Parliament Chairmans from Africa Photo Credit Mark Neyman GPO