Israel Admitted as Sector Partner to Pacific Islands Forum, Pledges Climate and Water Expertise

Israel has been formally admitted to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as a sector partner, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday, pledging to share expertise in climate change adaptation, water management, and sustainable agriculture with the 18-member bloc.

The designation arrives amid intensifying geopolitical competition for influence in the Pacific, where the Forum counts major powers including the United States, China, France, and Britain among its 30 development partners. Last month, Pacific leaders agreed to restructure external partnerships into strategic and sector-specific categories to better manage these competing interests.

Israel’s entry coincides with a regional tour by Eynat Shlein, head of MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, who visited Fiji and Samoa this week. According to the ministry, cooperation will focus on regional priorities, leveraging Israeli experience in desalination, agricultural innovation, and climate resilience.

“Strengthening relations with the Pacific Island nations is one of the foreign minister’s priorities,” the ministry stated, noting that Israel opened an embassy in Fiji earlier this year to serve nine Pacific nations with which it maintains friendly ties. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited the Forum headquarters in Suva in June to advance the engagement.

The Forum acknowledged the partnership in a statement, describing Shlein’s meetings as an opportunity for Pacific countries to outline development challenges and explore practical knowledge-sharing opportunities.

Diplomatic ties between Israel and several Pacific nations have deepened recently. Nauru opened an embassy in Jerusalem last month, joining Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and the United States as one of the few UN member states recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the city. Samoa is expected to relocate its embassy there later this year.

Analysts note that many Pacific Island nations have historically been steadfast supporters of Israel in international forums, a stance often attributed to the region’s strong Christian evangelical traditions and theological interpretations regarding the return of Jews to the Land of Israel.

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