When Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, a celebrated Christian theologian, won presidential elections in Malawi in June 2020, one of his immediate policy announcements was the upscaling of the southern African nation’s diplomatic relations with Zionist "Israel". Until now, Malawi has had low-level diplomatic ties with "Israel" for nearly six decades, but without any official presence in either Malawi or "Israel". It was this relationship that Chakwera committed himself to fully upgrading.

As a “God of Israel” aficionado, the pastor-turned-president, who spent more than 20 years as the head of one of Malawi’s largest Christian church denominations, the Assemblies of God, was eager to go where few others have for "Israel", as he announced plans to open his country’s embassy in the disputed al-Quds.

"Israel" claims all of al-Quds as its capital, a status that is not recognized by most countries. Some Palestinians claim "East Jerusalem", which "Israel" seized during the 1967 war, as the capital of their future state. Given the city’s disputed status and its central sensitivity in the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, most countries with diplomatic missions in "Israel" have eschewed al-Quds, opening instead to locate their embassies in the commercial capital, Tel Aviv.

Relationship faces opposition

Chakwera had planned to make Malawi the only African country to have an embassy in al-Quds, setting mid-2021 as the deadline to achieve this project. But strong opposition back home from Malawian civil society, religious leaders, and Palestinian groups succeeded in scuttling the plan, but not the whole embassy idea. He was eventually forced to open the embassy in Tel Aviv much later, in April 2024.

Analysts pointed out that the timing of the eventual opening, seven months into the genocide in Gaza, was no coincidence, but rather an explicit message meant to show the depth of Malawi’s support for "Israel".

At the United Nations (UN), Malawi under Chakwera consistently used its votes almost exclusively to serve the interests of genocidal "Israel", abstaining from a December 2024 vote on a ceasefire and later from the resolution on Palestine’s bid for full UN membership. For taking this stance, which many Malawians at home saw as a betrayal of the Palestinian people, the administration was repeatedly praised by the Zionist entity for its “bravery” and “moral courage”. 

“There is no way we can change our stand today and sever our ties (with Israel) at the hour they need us the most as close allies," Chakwera’s Foreign Minister Nancy Tembo said, defending the relationship. “We can’t, therefore, cut our ties with them today because there is a war in Gaza. Much as we regret the loss of lives, we reaffirm our firm solidarity to Israel,” Tembo asserted.

Labor deal sweetener

Following the October 2023 outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza that created serious labor shortage in "Israel" after Palestinian laborers were kept out, Malawi moved in to fill the gap by sending thousands of its young citizens to work mainly on Israeli farms, under a secretive and controversial labor deal in conditions that survivors and some human rights groups have described it as “inhumane and degrading”.

Throughout the Chakwera administration, the Malawian government spared no opportunity to reaffirm its support to "Israel", both in words and deeds, disregarding intense, strident domestic disapproval as it strongly defended its move as a “reciprocated gesture to a true friend and long-time ally.”

Change brings demands for a reset

Chakwera’s pro-Israeli stance contributed to his unpopularity in Malawi, so when he lost the September 16 election to former president Professor Peter Mutharika, those opposed to the country’s diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv saw it as a window to revisit this relationship.

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Immediately after being sworn in, Mutharika made partial cabinet changes, replacing Tembo with George Chaponda as Foreign Minister, a move that has given hope to those opposed to relations with the Zionist entity.

Asaboni Phiri, coordinator of the Malawi Palestine Solidarity Movement (MPSM), told Al Mayadeen English that what irked them the most about the outgoing administration was its open support for "Israel" and that they would soon be engaging the new administration on the matter.

“We look forward to engaging them now, especially on foreign policies, as for the issue of Palestine,” he told Al Mayadeen English. He cited Malawi’s voting against the ceasefire at the UN General Assembly and its endorsement of the Israeli occupation of Palestine by attempting to open an embassy in the disputed al-Quds, as some of the things that have been disapproved by the former administration.

“These are two major issues that we do not want to see this government repeating,” Phiri said, who expressed his disappointment that the Chakwera administration was doing all this despite the fact that Malawi is a signatory to the Genocide Convention and also a member of the Human Rights Council at the UN.

“We continue praying that one day our brothers and sisters in Palestine will be free,” Phiri added.

‘Things have changed’

Robert Mkwezalamba, chairperson of the Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC), the umbrella body for rights organizations in Malawi, told Al Mayadeen English that with the arrival of the new administration, Malawians should be given the opportunity to engage in an honest conversation about their country’s relations with the Zionist entity.

“The new administration should seek input from stakeholders to discuss the plight of Palestinians versus our preference for ‘Israel’,” Mkwezalamba said.

“We need to appreciate – and we do understand – that our relations with ‘Israel’ date back to the time when we were gaining Independence, from the support they provided to us… but that was then. Modern-day relations are founded on principles of equality, fairness, non-discrimination, and freedom for all. We are aware of the suffering and the challenges that the people of Palestine are going through; as such, we need to be sensitive as Malawians so as to play a key role in ensuring that Palestinians are free from oppression and whatever violence is happening there. So just to side with ‘Israel’ for the sake of bilateral historic relations would be suicidal for Malawi, as such, our call to the Mutharika administration would be to review the relations that we have with ‘Israel’.”

Mkwezalamba emphasized the need to make sure that Malawi joins other countries in responsibly using its vote at the UN and other forums to ensure that the rights of the people of Palestine are recognized and respected.

“Our appeal to the Malawi government is to review our relations with ‘Israel’ and ensure that the relations we may establish and maintain with ‘Israel’ should be the one that recognizes the freedom of the people of Palestine towards their self-rule and independence,” he added.

‘An immoral labour deal’

Luther Mambala, a Malawian labor law expert, told Al Mayadeen English that he would like to see the country’s relationship with ‘Israel’ re-evaluated to consider the plight of Palestinians. He pointed out that while the labor deal that is a result of closer ties with "Israel" may appear to be beneficial to Malawi, it is morally bankrupt if it comes to the disadvantage of the Palestinian people.

“The relationship is not beneficial because this agreement is not good for the people of Palestine,” Mambala said. “Why should Malawi benefit at the expense of other people?”

He added that the deal is also fraught with corruption. “For your own information, those who have benefited most (from the labor deal) are those who have relations with those in that government, not those who genuinely need support.”

Constant source of friction

Diplomatic relations with "Israel" are a constant source of friction in most African countries, as the majority of the citizens who were once colonized by some Western countries are opposed to the Israeli colonial occupation of Palestine. Geopolitical analysts, however, highlight that some African countries are still under neo-colonial control, so they are sometimes arm-twisted to join the side chosen by their former colonizers. Now, with some of the former colonial masters increasingly moving toward recognizing Palestine, it is yet to be seen how this could affect the Zionist entity’s relations with African countries.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Zambia, a politician has mounted a court challenge seeking to declare the recent opening of an Israeli embassy as unlawful.

Former legislator Munir Zulu has dragged President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration to court over its decision to re-establish diplomatic relations with "Israel" and its abstentions from UN votes on the Gaza war, which he argues breach the country’s Constitution.

Zulu, a Muslim and a supporter of the State of Palestine, argues that the Zambian government’s position amounts to implied support for genocide and violates Articles 8(d) and 9(1)(c) of the Constitution, which uphold human dignity as a national value and principle of state policy.