Middle East conflict: Israeli delegation visits Taiwan in show of commitment to ties as war continues at home

Israeli cross-party delegation meets representatives of island’s current and incoming governments, visits science park and attends Holocaust Memorial Day event

Features of the Taiwan-Israel relationship include bilateral trade over US$3.2 billion in 2022 but there has been little movement on unofficial defence cooperation

Reading Time:4 minutes

An Israeli cross-party delegation led by chair of the Knesset’s Israel-Taiwan friendship association, Boaz Toporovsky, met government officials and legislators throughout the trip, including President Tsai Ing-wen. Photo: Handout

Published: 12:31pm, 23 Apr 2024Updated: 3:10pm, 23 Apr 2024

As tensions in the Middle East escalated amid the Israel-Gaza war, an Israeli parliamentary delegation visited Taiwan last week in a show of warming ties with Taipei.

The cross-party delegation, led by chairman of the Knesset’s Israel-Taiwan friendship association, Boaz Toporovsky, met government officials and legislators throughout the trip, including Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, vice-president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim and Legislative Yuan speaker Han Kuo-yu.

The group – the second Israeli parliamentary delegation to visit Taiwan within a year – also visited the Southern Taiwan Science Park and a green energy demonstration site in Tainan.

“With your support, bilateral interactions have recently been very close,” Tsai said at a meeting with the delegation.

During their 30-year informal relationship, Taiwan and Israel have signed 33 agreements to strengthen exchanges in education, public health and other areas, including a tourism agreement signed last month.

03:47

World leaders call for de-escalation after Iran launches air attack on Israel

In February, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) established its own Taiwan-Israel parliamentary friendship group. And in March, it donated US$$500,000 to the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel to aid emergency responses in communities affected by the war.