‘The Bible speaks of the significance of Samaria,’ says Zambian Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe during his official visit to Israel, marking the first time a sitting Zambian foreign minister has toured the region.
In a historic first, Zambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mulambo Haimbe, began his official visit to Israel on Monday with a comprehensive tour of Samaria, marking the first such visit by a sitting Zambian foreign minister to the region.
The visit comes amid preparations for the opening of an Israeli embassy in Zambia and was initiated at the invitation of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan.
The Zambian delegation toured Har Bracha’s “Mitzpe Yosef” on Mount Gerizim, which overlooks the city of Shechem and the Tomb of Joseph, and continued on to the community of Peduel. There, they visited the national observation point known as the “Balcony of the State” named after President Donald Trump, located in the Gutnick Center, with views extending to Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport, and the central region of Israel.
Standing at the lookout over Shechem, Minister Haimbe expressed his deep emotion: “We are here, in a holy place. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The opportunity to come to Joseph’s Tomb, to learn its historical significance directly from the Bible—it tells an important story about the significance of the place we are standing in, in Samaria. We want to continue to deepen this friendship so that we can draw from the richness of this history, which is also our history. I am personally grateful for the invitation and the wonderful tour I received.”
During the visit, Dagan presented the strategic importance of Judea and Samaria to Israel’s security and highlighted the biblical events that took place in the region.
“It is an honor and a privilege for me to host you here in the Land of the Bible, in Samaria, and in Israel—the land that God blessed and through which He blessed us together,” Dagan said. “God swore to Abraham that all the nations that bless the people of Israel will themselves be blessed.
“You are blessing the State of Israel and the people of Israel, and especially the brave residents here in Samaria—the Land of the Bible. So may God bless you. I hope that together, from this important visit, we can work together to build a strong and genuine partnership—for your country and for ours,” he concluded.
