Ambassadors of Israel to the Philippines

Israel and the Philippines established full diplomatic relations in August 1957.[3] Embassies opened in both Tel Aviv and Manila in 1962, formalizing the resident diplomatic presence in each country.[1] By the end of 1960, Israel already had diplomatic officials stationed in the Philippines.[4] The Israeli Embassy is now located in Taguig, Metro Manila, and identifies Dana Kursh as the current ambassador.[2]

The bilateral relationship has been characterized by warmth in political dialogue and humanitarian cooperation.[5] The Philippines' vote for the 1947 UN partition plan—the only Asian nation to support it—remains an important part of the relationship's historical background.[1]

Moshe Raviv is the earliest ambassador identifiable from the consulted sources. A U.S. Department of State historical document records a meeting on January 19 at which Raviv offered two supertankers for U.S. charter in exchange for American assistance docking Israeli ships and securing dead storage at Subic Bay; the two sides also discussed the Moro National Liberation Front.[6] Raviv was additionally named as a keynote speaker at a Conference of Jewish Communities of the Asia-Pacific area held in Hong Kong on May 10–11, 1980.[7] Neither source specifies the dates of his tenure.

Yoav Behiri is identified in a 1998 report as a former Israeli ambassador to the Philippines, without tenure dates.[8]

Tzvi Aviner-Vapni was appointed ambassador to the Philippines in December 2006, with the appointees in that round expected to take up their posts in summer 2007.[9] A 2021 profile also lists the Philippines among his ambassadorial postings but does not provide tenure dates.[10]

Effie Ben Matityau served as ambassador during the period of the 13th Israeli Film Festival, at which he spoke about the featured films and Israeli cinema; no dates of service are given.[11]

Menashe Bar-On served during the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan and was quoted describing "the Philippines and the Filipino People" as "close friends with Israel and the Jewish people," adding that "at this moment, our urgent task is to extend help to the Philippine government."[12] His tenure dates are not recorded in the cited report.

Rafael (Rafi) Harpaz served as ambassador from 2018 to 2021.[13] He was identified as ambassador-designate at a Philippine National Day reception in 2018[14] and was present at a handover ceremony for 10,000 coronavirus testing kits donated to the Philippine Department of National Defense.[15] On June 16, 2021, during a farewell meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte at the presidential palace in Manila, Harpaz received the Philippines' Order of Sikatuna in recognition of his contributions to bilateral relations in business, innovation, agriculture, security, and foreign-worker affairs.[13]

Ilan Fluss was identified as Israel's ambassador in a report describing intensified bilateral ties. The report also covered his participation in opening a Be'eri-named interactive learning center at a public school in San Juan, Metro Manila, where children read the story of David and Goliath with Fluss and Mayor Francis Zamora.[16]

Dana Kursh was approved by the Israeli government as ambassador to the Philippines on January 12, 2025.[17] Official embassy pages identify her as the serving ambassador and state that she joined Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001, later serving as consul general in Bangalore and deputy ambassador in New Delhi.[2][18] A September 2026 report cited her estimate that reciprocal tourism runs to approximately 40,000 visitors annually in each direction and described her meetings with local mayors, police, and business associations.[19]

The consulted sources identify individuals who served as Israel's ambassador to the Philippines but do not provide a complete chronological roster. For example, the records identifying Moshe Raviv and Yoav Behiri do not give their tenure dates.[6][8] Sources covering the establishment of relations and the opening of the embassies also do not identify the inaugural ambassador.[1][3] The names documented here therefore represent verified examples rather than a complete succession list, and further archival research would be needed to establish the missing appointments and dates.