Equatorial Guinea–Israel Relations

Contemporary relations are maintained through Equatorial Guinea's resident ambassador in Israel and Israel's regional embassy in Yaoundé. Equatorial Guinea opened an embassy in Tel Aviv in 2019, and Eustaquito Nseng Esono became its first resident ambassador to Israel in March 2024.[1][7] Israel has not established a resident embassy in Equatorial Guinea, although President Isaac Herzog discussed that possibility during Esono's credential ceremony.[7]

The relationship has encompassed diplomacy, security cooperation, medical and development activity, and humanitarian assistance. High-level engagement continued in August 2025, when the two countries' foreign ministers met in Jerusalem and discussed strengthening Israel's relations with Equatorial Guinea and other African states.[8]

Equatorial Guinea and Israel first maintained diplomatic relations from 1968 to 1974. The relationship was severed following the Yom Kippur War.[1] Across Africa, most states broke relations with Israel after the 1973 war amid political and economic pressure from oil-rich Arab countries.[9]

The African diplomatic embargo gradually weakened after the 1978 Camp David Accords, Israel's withdrawal from Sinai, and disappointment over unfulfilled promises of Arab economic assistance. African states began reestablishing relations with Israel during the 1980s and early 1990s.[9] A Library of Congress handbook completed in December 1988 listed Equatorial Guinea alongside Kenya, Gabon, and Senegal as countries that had shown interest in renewing relations but had not yet formally done so.[10]

Israel's diplomatic-missions table records January 1994 as the date of renewal. It lists Israel's representation as non-resident and handled by the ambassador in Cameroon.[2] Israel's Embassy in Yaoundé now states that its jurisdiction encompasses Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo.[5]

Security ties have constituted a significant dimension of the relationship. The Institute for National Security Studies, citing SIPRI data, identified Equatorial Guinea as one of the African countries supplied with various types of large weapons by Israel during 2006–2010. It also identified Israeli training of Equatorial Guinea's presidential guard as an example of Israel's broader security assistance to African forces.[3] An INSS arms-transfer table records Shaldag patrol boats and multi-function patrol boats in 2004 and armored vehicles in 2008; a separate table corroborates the 2008 armored-vehicle transfer.[11][12]

A 2018 Ynet investigation described longstanding Israeli security involvement during President Obiang's rule, estimating cumulative activity at hundreds of millions of shekels and encompassing maritime, aerial, and ground systems. Reported transactions included 20 BMP-1 armored personnel carriers for €8.85 million, 60 URAL 4320 trucks for €7.08 million, four INTERCEPTOR 58 patrol boats for about €4 million, radar systems and five naval radar stations, and 1,000 Tavor rifles and 1,000 Jericho pistols for €3.55 million.[13] The investigation also described 66 Avir vehicles and missile-defense systems for two presidential aircraft.[13]

Israeli instructors were reported to have conducted a six-month presidential-guard protection course in 2006 involving approximately 15 instructors and between 100 and 150 trainees. Instructors reportedly received between $5,000 and $10,000 per month.[13] A separate report stated that Israeli advisers trained soldiers responsible for guarding Equatorial Guinea's borders with Cameroon and Gabon.[4]

The investigation identified Brigadier General (res.) Shlomo Elia as a central figure in the reported dealings. Elia denied being an arms dealer and said through his lawyer that he had provided consulting in communications, agriculture, and security. He also said that a proposed visit by President Obiang to Israel, for which an invitation was delivered in November 2006, had been initiated by Israel Aerospace Industries. The visit did not take place.[13] Nazareth Vehicle Industries confirmed details of the Avir transaction, while Israel Aerospace Industries, IWI, and Verint did not respond to the investigation's requests for comment. The report said Israeli defense involvement had declined significantly by 2018, with one source attributing the decline largely to low oil prices.[13]

Israeli-linked actors have participated in medical and infrastructure projects in Equatorial Guinea. In Malabo, International Medical Services GE S.A., led by Israeli project director Zvi Blum, planned a 155-bed hospital complex with doctors' residences, a 50-room guest hotel, a pharmacy, a heliport, landscaping, and an entrance fountain. The reported $100 million investment was financed by the Equatorial Guinean government, with materials including concrete and ceramics imported from Israel. In Bata, an Israeli-run hospital financed by the government employed more than 100 Israeli doctors and nurses.[4]

The 2018 Ynet investigation also described proposed Israeli agricultural projects involving poultry farms and hatcheries. A November 2012 proposal involved cooperation with the Israeli energy company Delek in searching for natural gas or oil. Delek representatives visited Equatorial Guinea, but the proposed transaction did not materialize.[13]

Through MASHAV, Israel's development-cooperation agency, two participants from Equatorial Guinea attended an Israel-based program categorized under "Regional Planning." The available record does not identify the participants, dates, or a specific project.[14]

Following deadly explosions at an armory and military barracks in Bata on March 7, 2021, Israel sent a humanitarian delegation of about 60 members. The joint team from Israel's Ministry of Health and the Israel Defense Forces included intensive-care physicians, pediatricians, and other specialists and was facilitated by Israel's Foreign Ministry and Embassy in Cameroon.[15]

The delegation treated more than 100 people and performed 11 surgeries. Equatorial Guinea's ambassador to Ghana publicly thanked Israel for the assistance.[15]

In May 2017, Equatorial Guinea's ambassador to the United Nations attended a New York dinner hosted by the American Jewish Committee's Africa Institute for 15 African ambassadors and Israel's UN ambassador. The meeting was organized to advance Africa–Israel ties and discuss cooperation in peace and security, high technology, and development.[16]

Equatorial Guinea opened an embassy in Tel Aviv in 2019.[1] On February 19, 2021, President Obiang informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by telephone that his country would relocate the embassy to Jerusalem. Netanyahu welcomed the announcement as part of deepening Israel–Africa cooperation, while Obiang said Africa was welcoming Israel with open arms.[6]

In March 2024, Eustaquito Nseng Esono became Equatorial Guinea's first resident ambassador to Israel. During the credential ceremony, he conveyed solidarity with Israel, condemned Hamas, urged the return of the hostages, and said President Obiang remained interested in relocating the embassy to Jerusalem. President Isaac Herzog discussed opening an Israeli embassy in Equatorial Guinea, strengthening relations at all levels, and beginning negotiations for a trade agreement.[7]

Herzog was also told that Equatorial Guinea had supported Israel at African Union meetings and that President Obiang had proposed an African Union delegation visit Israel to assess conditions directly.[7] In August 2025, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar met in Jerusalem with Equatorial Guinea's Foreign Minister Simeón Oyono Esono Angue. Sa'ar said the countries would work to strengthen Israel's ties with African nations and that he looked forward to making a reciprocal visit.[8]

UN Watch's database, last updated on July 31, 2026, records that since 2015 Equatorial Guinea voted for Israel on 0 General Assembly resolutions, against Israel on 48 resolutions, and abstained on 3. The database presents these figures as 0% in favor, 94% against, and 6% abstaining.[17]

In the 2009 General Assembly vote endorsing the Goldstone report on the 2008–2009 Gaza war, which passed by 114 votes to 18 with 44 abstentions, Equatorial Guinea was listed among the countries that did not vote.[18] During the 2023 Gaza war, Equatorial Guinea abstained on both the October 27 and December 12 General Assembly votes on resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire. The resolutions did not condemn Hamas and were opposed by Israel and its close allies.[19]

Many detailed arms-transfer and training claims rest on INSS summaries of SIPRI data and the 2018 Ynet investigation rather than publicly available government contracts. The INSS tables support several categories and dates of transfers, while the investigation attributed its more detailed figures to documents, correspondence, and interviews.[11][13] Elia disputed key allegations, and several companies declined to comment, although Nazareth Vehicle Industries confirmed the Avir-vehicle transaction.[13]

The diplomatic record also uses different levels of chronological precision. The Library of Congress handbook described Equatorial Guinea in 1988 as interested in renewing relations, while the Jewish Virtual Library gives January 1994 as the renewal date and The Jerusalem Post records the broader 1968–1974 and post-1994 timeline.[10][2] These accounts describe different stages rather than necessarily contradicting one another. The embassy relocation announced in February 2021 was still being discussed as an objective in March 2024.[6][7]