In September 2020, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera announced that Malawi would open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.

[1] Malawi under Kamuzu Banda's foreign policy was one of only three Sub-Saharan African countries (the others being Lesotho and Swaziland) that continued to maintain full diplomatic relations with Israel after the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

[2] In November 2020, Malawi announced that it will become the first African country in decades to open its embassy to Israel in the capital Jerusalem.

Malawian Foreign Minister Eisenhower Mkaka made the announcement during a trip to Israel, calling the decision a “bold and significant step.”[3] During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Malawi sent over 200 young workers to work on Israeli farms, with the potential to send up to 5,000.

The deal is viewed by Malawians and Israelis alike a beneficial to both countries, as Malawi faces an economic crisis and Israeli faces labor shortage due to the war.