Foreign relations of Israel refers to diplomatic and trade relations between Israel and other countries around the world. Israel has diplomatic ties with 164 of the other 192 UN member states as of December 2020. Israel is a member of the United Nations (UN) and a number of other international organisations. Israel maintains full diplomatic relations with two of its Arab neighbours,Egypt and Jordan,after signing peace treaties in 1979 and 1994 respectively. In 2020,Israel signed agreements establishing diplomatic relations with four Arab League countries,Bahrain,the United Arab Emirates,Sudan and Morocco. As of 2021,Israel had formal diplomatic relations with 168 other countries,while twenty-eight UN member states have either never established,or have broken off diplomatic relations with Israel.
Naor Gilon is Israel's ambassador to India and non resident ambassador to Sri Lanka and Bhutan. He was ambassador of Israel to the Netherlands (2019-2021),Italy and San Marino.
The status of Jerusalem has been described as "one of the most intractable issues in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict" due to the long-running territorial dispute between Israel and the Palestinians,both of which claim it as their capital city. Part of this issue of sovereignty is tied to concerns over access to holy sites in the Abrahamic religions;the current religious environment in Jerusalem is upheld by the "Status Quo" of the former Ottoman Empire. As the Israeli–Palestinian peace process has primarily navigated the option of a two-state solution,one of the largest points of contention has been East Jerusalem,which was part of the Jordanian-annexed West Bank until the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967.
Gideon Meir was an Israeli diplomat. He served as its ambassador to Italy from 2006 until 2012. He was noted for being part of the negotiating team that drafted the Egypt–Israel peace treaty in 1979.
Arye Mekel was an Israeli diplomat and journalist.
A bilateral relationship exists between Armenia and Israel. From 1993 to 2007,Armenia was served by the Embassy of Israel in Georgia. In 1996,Tsolak Momjian was appointed the honorary consul of Armenia in Jerusalem. Eleven years later,the residence of the Embassy of Israel in Armenia was moved to Jerusalem. In October 2010,Shmuel Meirom was appointed the Israeli ambassador to Armenia. Armen Melkonian was appointed the Armenian ambassador to Israel in 2012,with a residence in Cairo. In October of that year,Melkonian presented his credentials to Israeli President Shimon Peres. On 21 September 2019 Armenia announced that it would be opening an embassy in Israel. Despite generally cordial ties between the two,relations soured after Armenia withdrew its ambassador to Israel due to Israeli arms supply to Armenia's enemy,Azerbaijan,in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Israeli casualties of war,in addition to those of Israel's nine major wars,include 9,745 soldiers and security forces personnel killed in "miscellaneous engagements and terrorist attacks",which includes security forces members killed during military operations,by fighting crime,natural disasters,diseases,traffic or labor accidents and disabled veterans whose disabilities contributed to their deaths. Between 1948 and 1997,20,093 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat,75,000 Israelis were wounded,and nearly 100,000 Israelis were considered disabled army veterans. On the other hand,in 2010 Yom Hazikaron,Israel honored the memory of 22,684 Israeli soldiers and pre-Israeli Palestinian Jews killed since 1860 in the line of duty for the independence,preservation and protection of the nation,and 3,971 civilian terror victims. The memorial roll,in addition to IDF members deceased,also include fallen members of the Shin Bet security service,the Mossad intelligence service,the Israel Police,the Border Police,the Israel Prisons Service,other Israeli security forces,the pre-state Jewish underground,and the Jewish Brigade and the Jewish Legion.
Yaakov Herzog was an Irish-born Israeli diplomat.
The diplomatic relations between Israel and Serbia were established on January 31,1992,when Serbia was part of FR Yugoslavia. Israel has an embassy in Belgrade and Serbia had one in Tel Aviv. Yugoslavia was the second country in Europe to recognize Israel in 1948. The two countries have economic and cultural ties,helped by a sizable community of Jews from the former Yugoslavia in Israel. Serbia agreed to move its embassy to Jerusalem on 4 September 2020 but decided not to after Israeli recognition of Kosovo as a sovereign state,something Serbia disputes.
Denmark–Israel relations refers to the bilateral relationship between Denmark and Israel.
Israel–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between Israel and Ukraine. Both countries recognized each other on 11 May 1949 as the Ukrainian SSR and established de jure diplomatic relations on 26 December 1991 when Ukraine became independent. Israel has an embassy in Kyiv. Ukraine has an embassy in Tel Aviv and a consulate-general in Haifa. There are 30,000 Ukrainians settled in Israel,while Ukraine has one of Europe's largest Jewish communities. Ukraine is also the first state,apart from Israel,to have had both a Jewish president and prime minister simultaneously.
Mattanya (Matty) Cohen,born 1965 is an Israeli diplomat. He was the former Israeli ambassador to Guatemala,Honduras,El Salvador and Belize.
Ofir Gendelman is an Israeli diplomat and current spokesperson to the Arab media in the Israel Prime Minister's Office,a position he has held since April 2010,prior to which he served in the same role at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gendelman has been a regular fixture on various Arab media outlets since 2001.
Andriy Yaroslavovych Melnyk is a Ukrainian diplomat currently serving as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Previously he served from January 12,2015 until October 2022 as the Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany and currently serving as the Ukrainian ambassador to Brazil since June 2023. He is a Doctor of Law.
Yitzhak Eldan was born on October 30,1943. He is an Israeli diplomat as well as a former Israeli Ambassador. He has served,among other postings,as the Israeli Ambassador to Denmark,to the Council of Europe and UNESCO,as well as Head of State Protocol for Israel and Director of the Israeli Diplomatic school. In 2011,he founded The Ambassadors’Club of Israel and continues to serve as its President. In addition,since 2013 he has been directing The Israeli School for Young Ambassadors. Senior Lecturer on Diplomacy,Hebrew University,Jerusalem.
The Israeli Embassy in Berlin is the headquarters of the diplomatic mission of Israel in Germany. It is located in the Berlin district of Schmargendorf at Auguste-Viktoria-Straße 74. Since August 22,2022,the Israeli ambassador to Germany is Ron Prosor.
Avi Gil is a former Israeli diplomat who served as director general of The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2003 he as a Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI).
Akiva Tor is currently the Israeli Ambassador to the Republic of Korea since November 2020.
