Fiji will be establishing the Fijian Embassy in Jerusalem on the 17th of this month, and its inauguration will be attended by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
The government says the opening of Fiji’s first resident mission in Israel is a strategic step to deepen cooperation in areas such as security, agriculture, climate resilience, innovation, trade, and people-to-people links.
They say preparatory work is already underway, including an advance team to Jerusalem led by the Permanent Representative to the UN, Filipo Tarakinikini.
Rabuka says this mission is about constructive engagement.
He says an embassy is not a blanket endorsement of another country’s policies; it is a bridge that allows Fiji to work directly with partners, share our Pacific perspectives, and pursue practical cooperation that benefits our people.
During the visit, Fijian ministers and officials will meet their Israeli counterparts across portfolios to progress concrete initiatives.
Security discussions will build on Israel’s earlier pledge to assist Fiji’s maritime and border security, including support related to patrol vessels, part of Fiji’s wider effort to combat transnational crime and keep our communities safe.
Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya says they will keep Fijians informed throughout the mission, and their focus is on practical outcomes, from modern irrigation and climate-smart agriculture to digital and communications cooperation that can improve services and resilience at home.
Minister for Home Affairs Pio Tikoduadua says their meetings with security counterparts will target training, technology exchange, and operational cooperation to make Fiji safer and more secure.
Tikoduadua says they will also advance follow-up on maritime surveillance and related capability support.
The government says Fiji appreciates the hospitality and on-the-ground support offered by its hosts for elements of the visit and the mission’s establishment.
It says this is consistent with Israel’s cabinet decision to provide financial assistance to countries relocating embassies to Jerusalem, and the Embassy will strengthen services for Fijians and deepen longstanding ties of friendship and cooperation between Fiji and Israel.
Rabuka noted that this is a forward-looking step, a bridge of cooperation that advances Fiji’s interests, supports our values, and fosters dialogue and peace.
Meanwhile, the Fiji Labour Party has expressed grave concern over the public exposure of the official delegation list for Rabuka’s planned visit to Israel later this month.
In a statement, FLP Leader Mahendra Chaudhry says official travel documents and names of personal protection officers are circulating on social media.
He says what clearer evidence is needed that this government cannot secure even its own paperwork—let alone the nation?
Chaudhry says as a former Prime Minister, he reminds Rabuka that protecting sensitive state information is the first lesson in leadership and diplomacy.
He says the Party also questions the need for such a large entourage to Israel with seventeen individuals.
He adds that this includes spouses, videographers, and media handlers, who are being flown across the world at taxpayers’ expense when ordinary Fijians are struggling with the rising cost of living, crumbling healthcare, soaring crime and drug problems, and when we beg other nations for Budget support.
The FLP Leader says among the entourage is the Minister for Information, Lynda Tabuya, whose track record of misconduct is well known to the Fijian people.
Chaudhry says the Prime Minister’s flagrant flouting of ethical standards and the code of conduct by his ministers is becoming a matter of grave concern to the Fijian people.
He says by rewarding and promoting those who have embarrassed the government and the nation through their gross misconduct, and by refusing to take action against ministers and others implicated in the COI report, the Prime Minister is promoting perversity in the governance of our nation.
He further says the Prime Minister must explain why it is so important to establish a mission in Israel at a time when most of the free world is looking away from it because of its inhumane treatment, bordering on genocide of innocent people in Gaza.
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