Jerusalem embassies: why Pacific states back Israel

Pacific island nations are moving closer to Israel over embassies in Jerusalem, with experts and former diplomats saying Christian belief is a major reason for the region’s support.

Nauru opened an embassy in Jerusalem earlier this month. Papua New Guinea and Fiji already have embassies in the city, and Samoa has said it will join them later this year.

Former Fijian diplomat Salote Tagivakatini told AFP that the moves were driven less by calculated diplomacy than by religious conviction. She said Christianity was the main underlying factor and cited the large share of Indigenous Pacific islanders who identify as Christians.

Religion and politics often overlap in the South Pacific. Several Pacific nations refer to Christian faith in their founding constitutions, and some leaders have made strongly pro-Israel statements. Samoan Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt wore a Jewish prayer shawl at his swearing-in last year and said Samoa would support the “holy land of God”, according to local media.

Support for Israel is not universal in the region. A small group of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags met Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar during a visit to Fiji earlier this year.

Most countries keep embassies in Tel Aviv because Jerusalem’s status is widely treated as an issue for a final Israeli-Palestinian settlement. The United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, and only a few countries have followed, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay.

International affairs expert Shannon Brincat told AFP that the embassy moves were symbolically important because they helped normalise Israel’s claim to Jerusalem as its undivided capital. Pacific security researcher Maima Koro said the relationship should not be seen mainly as transactional, describing the connection as spiritual.