Fiji opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the seventh country to do so, with leaders of Israel and the island nation sporting traditional Fijian garlands at the inauguration ceremony.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar celebrated alongside Fiji’s Prime Minister and and Foreign Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Sa’ar’s office said in a statement.
“A new embassy in Jerusalem, our eternal capital!” Sa’ar cheered in the statement.
The event was a rare diplomatic bright spot for Israel at a time when allies are issuing increasingly harsh criticism of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war and threatening sanctions. Fiji was one of a dozen countries to abstain from a recent United Nations vote that overwhelmingly endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state, and on Wednesday, Rabuka paid tribute to his country’s relationship with Israel.
“I’d like to acknowledge the special bond and the enduring friendship and relationship that has existed between Fiji and the State of Israel,” Rabuka said following the inauguration at a ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry offices in the presence of Sa’ar.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Fiji is the seventh country to open an embassy in Jerusalem, joining the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay. Argentina has also announced plans to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem next year.
Rabuka, Sa’ar and Netanyahu posed for a photo, with Netanyahu and Rabuka sporting salusalu — traditional Fijian garlands.
Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, left, meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on September 17, 2025. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
Ahead of the ceremony, Netanyahu hosted Rabuka at his office, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. Rabuka, who is also the foreign minister, in turn invited Netanyahu to visit the South Pacific archipelago, the statement added.
Netanyahu thanked his Fijian counterpart “for his support and steadfast standing alongside Israel, and spoke with him about regional political and security issues,” the PMO said.
Most countries have their diplomatic seats in Tel Aviv due to the disputed status of Jerusalem. Israel claims the city as its eternal and undivided capital, while the Palestinian Authority seeks East Jerusalem as the capital of its future state. Most countries do not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem.
Rabuka came to power in late 2022 as the head of a three-party government that included the right-wing Christian Sodelpa party, one of whose leaders’ demands was that Fiji open an embassy in Jerusalem.
Fiji’s embassy move follows a decades-long campaign by the Jerusalem-based International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem, which preaches support for Israel at churches across the Southern Pacific.
Israel had an embassy in Fiji, but it was closed in the 1990s due to budget cuts at the time.
AFP contributed to this report.
Is The Times of Israel important to you?
If so, we have a request.
Every day, even during war, our journalists keep you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fast, fair and free coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
We care about Israel – and we know you do too. So today, we have an ask: show your appreciation for our work by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work.
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel