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Until a few weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled<\/a> to visit Fiji as an extension of his Australian visit. This would have reciprocated a previous visit<\/a> to Jerusalem by Fiji\u2019s Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama. While both visits had political motivations, the two countries also share a surprising number of common interests, from regional peacekeeping to water technology.<\/p>\n Bainimarama\u2019s Jerusalem visit served various purposes. It formed part of a tour of Middle East capitals to discuss what Bainimarama called<\/a> \u2018Fiji\u2019s contribution to United Nations\u2019 peacekeeping in the region\u2019 and the \u2018safety of Fijian men and women in uniform, as they carry out their duties\u2019.<\/p>\n On a per capita basis, Fiji has been the biggest contributor<\/a> of soldiers to UN peacekeeping missions. According to Fiji\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs<\/a>, the largest contingent of these peacekeepers serves with the Multinational Force & Observers (\u2018MFO\u2019) in the Sinai which sits on Israel\u2019s south-west border. The MFO<\/a> was formed<\/a> after the 1979 Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel with a mission<\/a> to supervise its implementation and prevent violations.<\/p>\n Fiji also maintains a presence on Israel\u2019s Syrian border with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). This gained worldwide attention in 2014 after 45 peacekeepers were abducted<\/a> and held by al-Qaida linked militants for two weeks. Following this, the peacekeepers moved from the Bravo (Syrian) side to the Alpha (Israeli) side of the border, where they could surreally<\/a> be found working alongside curious tourists. In addition, 146 Fijian peacekeepers were moved<\/a> to the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), where Fiji had previously<\/a> sent peacekeepers in 1978. With improved security conditions in late 2016, 150 (out of 819) UNDOF troops returned to the Syrian side. However, a full return<\/a> \u2018seems unlikely in the foreseeable future\u2019.<\/p>\n Aside from Fiji\u2019s peacekeeping forces in the region, Bainimarama also noted another reason for his visit, namely, Israeli support \u2018on medical [technology], renewable energy, including agriculture, and especially our effort to draw global attention to the need for more decisive action on climate change\u2019.<\/p>\n Whilst many nations seek to capitalise on Israel\u2019s high tech prowess,\u00a0Israeli leadership<\/a> in water technology<\/a> is particularly significant to Fiji. The two countries are discussing a proposed \u2018Memorandum on Agriculture<\/a>\u2019 and Israel is offering Fiji \u2018tailored approaches to crop production and farming practices that are better suited to the changing weather conditions caused by climate change\u2019. This follows previous assistance from Israel, after Fiji faced its strongest tropical cyclone in recorded history in early 2016. Within a month of Cyclone Winston, Israel coordinated with its Canberra Embassy and IsraAID<\/a> to send a team of experts which included<\/a> water, shelter, livelihood and psychosocial specialists.<\/p>\n Yet, as a nation facing a serious threat from climate change, Fiji\u2019s agenda also extends to advocating for global action at the international stage<\/a>. As such, Bainimarama noted<\/a> that \u2018we need the support of Israel\u2026 as we take the fight to Morocco later on in the month to COP22\u2019.<\/p>\n Interestingly, just as Fiji is seeking Israel\u2019s cooperation on the international stage, Israel is also seeking Fiji\u2019s assistance in international bodies. Israel often finds itself isolated\u00a0 in the face of a powerful Arab-led bloc<\/a>, and it is seeking to garner support<\/a> from developing nations. Here, the UN voting system provides tiny island nations like Fiji with disproportionate voting power. As Netanyahu said late last year:<\/a> \u2018Why am I going to Fiji? Because fifteen countries, fifteen islands that each have a vote in the UN are coming.\u2019<\/p>\n At one level, Fiji\u2019s international peacekeeping missions and Israel\u2019s foreign aid are performed out of goodwill for their inherent benefits. However, Israel\u2019s aid is also tied to its political interests as was demonstrated sharply when Israel recently<\/a> instructed the Foreign Ministry to cancel all aid programs to Senegal after the African nation co-sponsored a resolution condemning Israeli settlements. Similarly, critics point to other motives behind Fiji\u2019s peacekeeping efforts including strengthening<\/a> and legitimising<\/a> its military and political elite as well as its financial benefits<\/a>.<\/p>\n It should also be noted that Fiji\u2019s regional presence carries another significant implication. Following Fiji\u2019s military coup in 2006, Western nations imposed sanctions<\/a>. Since then, Fiji has sought new alliances elsewhere, most notably with Russia and China.\u00a0 A secretive military shipment<\/a> donated by Russia to Fiji has been interpreted by some as an attempt by Moscow to gain regional leverage. This then, may give rise to a potential conflict of interest between the ostensibly neutral role of UN peacekeepers and Russia\u2019s interests in Syria.<\/p>\n Netanyahu\u2019s visit to Fiji was ultimately cancelled<\/a> for \u2018logistical reasons\u2019. Tensions also arose recently when Israel took issue <\/a>with the Fijian chair of the General Assembly wearing a Palestinian flag at a UN event. But, despite Netanyahu\u2019s cancellation, Israel has stated<\/a> its commitment to \u2018tirelessly working to strengthen and deepen the strong bonds\u2019 with Fiji.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Until a few weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to visit Fiji as an extension of his Australian visit. This would have reciprocated a previous visit to Jerusalem by Fiji\u2019s Prime Minister …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":607,"featured_media":30628,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[283,265,240,92],"class_list":["post-30627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-climate-change","tag-fiji","tag-israel","tag-united-nations"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n