Embassy of the Philippines, Tel Aviv

The embassy conducts diplomatic, economic, cultural, and consular work. In a 2017 interview, Ambassador Nathaniel “Neal” Imperial identified tourism, pilgrimage tours, business-process outsourcing, innovation, and agricultural technology as priorities for bilateral cooperation.[5] He also described weekly post-arrival orientation seminars for newly arrived Filipino caregivers, partly intended to encourage workers to report exploitative placement fees.[5]

The same interview noted that the Philippines maintained an honorary consul’s office in west Jerusalem in addition to the embassy in Tel Aviv.[5]

Israel and the Philippines established full diplomatic relations in 1957.[4][2] Embassies opened in Tel Aviv and Manila in 1962.[1][2] A decade earlier, the Philippines had been the only Asian country to vote in favor of the 1947 UN General Assembly resolution endorsing the partition of Mandatory Palestine, a vote that later became a recurring element in commemorations of bilateral ties.[4]

A U.S. State Department memorandum dated May 1962 recorded that the Philippines was among governments then considering a diplomatic mission in Israel, with its mission listed as “not yet established” at that time.[6] The document noted that, as of March 1962, 41 nations maintained diplomatic missions in Israel; 11 had missions in Jerusalem, while most others were in Tel Aviv. The United States expressed the hope that new missions “will be established in Tel Aviv, where most other missions are located,” reflecting the U.S. position on Jerusalem at that time.[6]

The two countries further institutionalized their relationship through a 1997 memorandum of understanding establishing political dialogue between their foreign ministries.[1]

A recurring theme of the embassy's public role has been commemorating the Philippines' assistance to Jewish refugees during World War II. In 2006, Ambassador Antonio Modena relayed that the mayor of Rishon LeZion had committed to proposing a monument at Yad Vashem's Avenue of the Righteous Among Nations, recognizing the humanitarian assistance extended by the Philippines, particularly under President Manuel Quezon.[3] Modena said the mayor had observed that few people in Israel knew the Philippines “for its acts of compassion” in saving Jews from the Nazi onslaught.[3] A separate World Jewish Congress page reports that a monument honoring the Philippines was erected in Rishon LeZion's Holocaust Memorial Park in 2009.[4]

A 2019 Jerusalem Post column reported that Ambassador Neal Imperial was due to inaugurate Balai Quezon, or “Quezon House,” at the embassy. The cultural center was intended to promote awareness of Quezon's open-door policy and serve as a repository for research, documents, books, films, art, and memorabilia concerning the Philippine–Jewish sanctuary narrative.[7] A January 2020 Jerusalem Post column reported that an event at Balai Quezon, organized with B'nai B'rith World Center and other partners, featured films and a panel that included Tel Aviv University professor Robert Rockaway and people who had benefited from Quezon's policy.[8]

In 2020, the Confederation of General Zionists presented the embassy with a special certificate recognizing the Philippines' vote for UN Resolution 181 and Quezon's open-door policy. The report attributed to a Confederation press release the claim that the policy saved more than 1,300 people.[9]

The embassy building in Tel Aviv has served as a venue for official and community ceremonies. The Philippines' 126th Independence Day celebration was held there with Ambassador Pedro Laylo Jr. and included conversations with Filipinos living in Israel and business and economic figures interested in developing ties with the Philippines.[10]

In September 2026, Ambassador Aileen Mendiola welcomed plans for a weekly direct route between Tel Aviv and Manila, which Arkia was scheduled to begin on January 3, 2027.[11] Mendiola also expressed interest in opening discussions toward a free-trade agreement; the report placed bilateral trade at approximately $362.2 million in 2025.[11]

Maariv also reported that Filipino citizens were among those taken hostage on October 7, 2023, and that approximately 50 Filipino citizens were serving in the Israeli military during the Iron Swords war.[10]

The question of relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem arose on several occasions during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. In December 2017, Maariv reported on a private campaign urging Duterte to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and transfer the embassy there. Claims of support were attributed to businessman Baruch Liouiev, who said he had received a diplomatic message through people around Duterte; the article did not report an official Philippine government decision.[12]

In May 2018, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs reported that Duterte had informed Israel of his interest in transferring the Philippine embassy to Jerusalem. The report described an expressed interest but provided no timetable or confirmed decision.[13] Later that year, a possible relocation was described as an issue expected to be discussed during Duterte's planned visit to Israel, again without any reported decision to move.[14]

In 2017, Ambassador Imperial explained the embassy's continued presence in Tel Aviv by saying that the status of the capitals remained unresolved and that the Philippines supported a two-state solution and recognized both Israelis and Palestinians. He said the Philippines would decide whether and where to move once the matter was resolved by both sides.[5]