Relationship dossier
Israel
Rwanda
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation and high-level engagement, alongside controversy over reported asylum-seeker transfers
Israel toward Rwanda
+35Israel has pursued bilateral cooperation with Rwanda in areas including agriculture, water and technology, and reopened its embassy in Kigali in 2019. Israeli government policy also became entangled in disputed reports of an arrangement to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Rwanda toward Israel
+35Rwanda opened an embassy in Israel in 2015 and has engaged in bilateral cooperation, including agreements and high-level exchanges. Rwanda disputed reports that it had agreed to receive asylum seekers transferred from Israel.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship has a practical cooperative foundation, reflected in bilateral agreements, high-level engagement and reciprocal embassy presence. Controversy over reported asylum-seeker transfers has been a significant complicating issue, though Rwanda disputed the alleged arrangement.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Israel and Rwanda have pursued practical cooperation, including agreements and high-level engagement on areas such as agriculture, water, technology and aviation. Rwanda opened an embassy in Israel in 2015, and Israel reopened its embassy in Kigali in 2019. Reports of an arrangement to transfer asylum seekers from Israel to Rwanda were disputed by Rwanda, complicating an otherwise cooperative relationship.
Areas of tension
- Disputed reports of an arrangement for Israel to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Key developments
Rwanda opened an embassy in Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Rwanda, during a period of bilateral agreements and cooperation.
Israel reopened its embassy in Kigali.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The circumstances and terms of reported asylum-seeker transfers remain disputed.