Israel–New Zealand Relations

Israel and New Zealand maintain full formal diplomatic relations. Israel operates an embassy in Wellington, while New Zealand's nonresident ambassador to Israel has traditionally been based in Turkey and the country maintains an honorary consulate in Tel Aviv.[3][2]

The relationship combines early New Zealand support for Israel's establishment with periodic diplomatic disputes, notably the 2004 passport affair and the crisis surrounding UN Security Council Resolution 2334.[4][5] Film, technology, health, climate, and commercial initiatives have provided avenues for cooperation despite those political disagreements.[6][8]

Friendly connections between the Jewish community in pre-state Palestine, known as the Yishuv, and New Zealand trace their roots to the service of New Zealand soldiers in Palestine and the Middle East during both World Wars.[9] To honor this shared history, Israel later erected an ANZAC memorial near Be'eri in southern Israel commemorating those Australian and New Zealand troops.[3]

On November 29, 1947, New Zealand voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 181, the partition plan calling for independent Arab and Jewish states in the land west of the Jordan River.[10] New Zealand was the 34th country called in the vote and cast the 19th affirmative ballot; the resolution passed 33 in favor, 13 against, and 10 abstentions. The Jewish Agency accepted the plan, while Arab leaders and governments rejected it.[11]

One later account credits Isaac Gotlieb, the first head of the New Zealand Zionist Federation, with a significant role in securing the vote. According to Gotlieb's great-nephew, Gotlieb persuaded Prime Minister Peter Fraser to support partition after Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann sent Fraser a telegram urging a favorable vote, though Fraser reportedly feared that the plan could lead to war without an international force to enforce it.[11]

New Zealand went on to vote in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 273 on May 11, 1949, admitting Israel to UN membership; the resolution passed 37 votes to 12, with nine abstentions.[12] New Zealand gave Israel de facto recognition in 1949 and de jure recognition in 1950.[2] For many years New Zealand did not maintain a resident diplomatic mission in Israel, instead accrediting an ambassador based elsewhere — often at The Hague — to Israel; Israel's ambassador to Australia served concurrently as ambassador to New Zealand until the first resident Israeli ambassador arrived in Wellington in 1975.[9] The year 2025 marked fifty years since Israel established that embassy in Wellington.[2]

The institutional arrangements underpinning the bilateral relationship have shifted several times. Israel's Wellington embassy, open since 1975, closed in 2002 or 2003 for financial reasons — sources give slightly different dates — after which Israel was initially represented by an honorary consul, with David Zwartz the first appointee.[9] The embassy reopened in August 2005 as a branch of Israel's Canberra mission, operating under the authority of Israel's ambassador to Australia.[13] In 2010, Shemi Tzur presented his credentials as ambassador to New Zealand, an occasion Ynet described as officially reopening the embassy and renewing full diplomatic activity.[13] In April 2011, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin inaugurated the Wellington embassy building at a ceremony attended by New Zealand parliamentary speaker Lockwood Smith; Rivlin described it as a "new page" in the bilateral relationship.[14]

New Zealand has never maintained a resident embassy in Israel. Its ambassador to Israel has traditionally been accredited from Ankara — that is, the same diplomat serving as ambassador to Turkey also holds accreditation to Israel — while New Zealand maintains an honorary consulate in Tel Aviv.[2][8] This arrangement created friction in 2014, when Israel's Foreign Ministry prevented incoming New Zealand ambassador Jonathan Curr from presenting his credentials because Curr intended to also call on the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, contrary to Israeli diplomatic guidelines. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key noted that the same representative had historically been accredited for both Israel and Palestine and that separating the roles would be inconvenient; he instructed Curr to remain in Ankara. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin publicly criticized the Foreign Ministry's decision as fueling an unnecessary crisis with a country he described as a close friend.[15]

As of the most recent available reporting, Israel maintains an embassy in Wellington, New Zealand's ambassador to Israel is based in Turkey, and New Zealand's honorary consulate operates in Tel Aviv.[2][8] In October 2026, Alon Roth-Snir was identified as Israel's ambassador to New Zealand, with embassy staff in Wellington among the first Israeli diplomatic personnel to cast ballots in Israel's 2026 election.[16]

A serious diplomatic rupture occurred in 2004 after a passport fraud case. In March, New Zealand authorities arrested Uri Kelman and Eli Cara — identified in later reporting as Uriel Zosha Kelman and Elisha Cara — on charges of attempting to fraudulently obtain a New Zealand passport by exploiting the identity of a wheelchair-bound person with cerebral palsy.[4][17] Both pleaded guilty to an amended single charge of attempting to fraudulently obtain a passport; the original indictment had included three counts, including belonging to a criminal organization.[17] Each was sentenced to six months in prison and a NZ$50,000 fine payable to a charity for people with disabilities.[17] New Zealand sources claimed the two were connected to a third Israeli, Zeev William Barkan, who had left the country before the case came to light.[17]

Prime Minister Helen Clark publicly characterized Kelman and Cara as Israeli intelligence agents and described the activities of Israel's intelligence services as a serious incident.[4][17] The men and the Israeli government denied that characterization.[4] In response, New Zealand imposed diplomatic sanctions: high-level visits were cancelled, Israeli officials faced visa restrictions, and a planned visit by Israeli President Moshe Katsav was called off.[6] The two men were released and deported after serving less than half their sentences.[4]

Diplomatic repair took more than a year. In June 2005, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom sent a formal letter of apology to New Zealand for the involvement of the two Israeli citizens in activities that led to their arrest and convictions, stating that Israel regretted the activities and would take steps to prevent similar incidents.[4] Clark announced that New Zealand had lifted diplomatic restrictions, restoring visits and other diplomatic activities.[4] In August 2005, Israel's ambassador to Canberra, Naftali Tamir, presented his credentials to New Zealand Governor-General Silvia Cartwright, and Tamir and Foreign Minister Phil Goff both declared the relationship back on track; an Israeli Foreign Ministry official described the occasion as the opening of "a new page."[18] Subsequent visits consolidated the normalization: a New Zealand foreign minister later traveled to Israel for three days, meeting both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres, and the two countries reached an agreement to grant young Israelis work visas.[13]

Following the October 1973 Yom Kippur War, the New Zealand government moved toward a more pro-Arab stance in its official postures, even as popular support for Israel's achievements continued within New Zealand society. Both National and Labour administrations maintained a somewhat more distant relationship with Israel during this period, a shift attributed in part to New Zealand's dependence on oil imports and the value of its trade with Arab countries.[9]

At the 2015 presentation of his credentials in Israel, incoming New Zealand ambassador Jonathan Andrew Carr described New Zealand as a friend of Israel, acknowledged a deep relationship and long-standing cooperation between the peoples, and noted that the countries did not always see things eye to eye. He stated that New Zealand's role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council made listening carefully to Israel's positions a priority.[19]

A major diplomatic crisis erupted in December 2016 when New Zealand co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 2334 concerning Israeli settlement activity. New Zealand was one of four countries that advanced the draft, alongside Malaysia, Venezuela, and Senegal, after Egypt indicated it might withdraw its version.[5] Before the vote, Prime Minister Netanyahu telephoned New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully and urged him to postpone it. According to Maariv, Netanyahu warned that continuing to advance the resolution would be "tantamount to a declaration of war" and would have consequences for the bilateral relationship; New Zealand refused the request.[20]

The Security Council adopted Resolution 2334 on December 23, 2016, by 14 votes to zero, with the United States abstaining.[5] The resolution said Israeli settlement activity had "no legal validity" and constituted a "flagrant violation under international law."[5] Israel's stated position is that the West Bank — Judea and Samaria — is disputed rather than occupied territory and that Jewish settlement there does not violate international law.[21]

Israel's response was swift. Netanyahu ordered Israel's ambassador to New Zealand, Itzhak Gerberg, recalled for consultations, directed the Foreign Ministry to summon ambassadors of countries that voted for the resolution, and urged ministers to restrict travel to and working ties with those countries.[5][22] Israel also postponed travel plans for New Zealand's ambassador to Israel.[6] In February 2017, The Times of Israel reported that Israel would not return its ambassadors to New Zealand or Senegal and that a chargé d'affaires would remain in Wellington — an arrangement widely characterized as an effective downgrade of ties, though Israel's Foreign Ministry stated there had been "no decision to downgrade diplomatic relations."[23]

The six-month crisis was resolved in June 2017, after a phone conversation between Netanyahu and New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English and a letter from English expressing regret for the damage the resolution had caused to bilateral relations. Ambassador Gerberg subsequently returned to Wellington.[6] Earlier repair efforts had included a letter from New Zealand Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee to Netanyahu.[24] On July 29, 2018, Māori elders performed a traditional whakapāha ceremony honoring Gerberg and expressing regret for New Zealand's role in the resolution's adoption.[6]

Despite the political turbulence, the two countries have pursued modest but concrete areas of practical cooperation. In early March 2016, New Zealand and Israel signed a co-production treaty covering film, animation, television, and digital productions, intended to improve filmmakers' access to funding and incentives for cross-border collaboration. The treaty was reportedly inspired by the 2015 film Atomic Falafel, a commercial success that featured an Israeli director and a New Zealand production crew.[6]

In October 2021, Israeli Ambassador Ran Yaakoby met New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta for discussions covering Israeli Ministry of Health assistance to New Zealand's Director-General of Health on the COVID-19 response, potential climate cooperation, Israeli clean-technology donations to Samoa and Tonga, and support for the Māori economy.[6]

The New Zealand Israel Innovation Hub opened in Tel Aviv in January 2023 as a nonprofit aimed at fostering collaboration and new commercial partnerships. Its stated functions included facilitating business communication, acting as a bilateral business council, and advocating for exports and trade in both directions. At the time of its launch it had 23 initiatives in development and 13 volunteers, with identified areas for cooperation including food technology, agricultural technology, climate technology, and space technology.[8] A 2022 assessment noted that Israeli ambassador Ran Yaacoby was working to foster economic ties through collaborations and joint ventures in hi-tech, innovation agriculture, and medical technology, though it characterized Israel's relations with New Zealand as less developed than its relations with other CANZUK countries.[25] As of early 2023 the two countries had no free-trade agreement.[8]

The Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 introduced new tensions and also produced at least one significant alignment between the two countries. New Zealand called for a ceasefire and the return of the hostages held by Hamas, and on February 29, 2024, it fully designated Hamas as a terrorist organization — having previously sanctioned only Hamas's military wing in 2010.[26] Former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins stated that the October 7 attacks had made clear that the political and military wings of Hamas could no longer be distinguished.[26] The designation freezes Hamas assets in New Zealand and makes certain property transactions, financial dealings, and provision of material support criminal offenses.[26]

On July 26, 2024, New Zealand joined Australia and Canada in a joint statement condemning Hamas's October 7 actions and calling for an urgent Gaza ceasefire, the release of hostages, and protection of Palestinian civilians; the statement also referenced the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion and violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank, and supported a two-state solution.[6]

In September 2025, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand would not at that time recognize a Palestinian state, citing the ongoing war, Hamas's de facto control of Gaza, and a lack of clarity about next steps. Peters argued that recognition at that moment could complicate ceasefire efforts by making both Israel and Hamas more intransigent; the New Zealand government indicated it hoped to recognize a Palestinian state when conditions offered better prospects for peace.[27]

From 2025 onward, New Zealand joined a coalition of Western governments in imposing targeted measures against Israeli officials and individuals accused of involvement in West Bank settler violence or policies undermining a two-state solution. On June 10, 2025, New Zealand, together with Australia, Canada, Norway, and the United Kingdom, announced sanctions and other measures targeting Israeli cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, described as responding to alleged incitement of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.[6] The United States condemned those sanctions and called for their reversal.[28]

In June 2026, New Zealand joined Australia, Britain, France, Canada, and Norway in imposing a further round of sanctions focused on settlement activity and violence in the West Bank, with particular attention to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich; the participating countries accused Smotrich of promoting annexation, new settlements, the recolonization of Gaza, and policies aimed at the Palestinian Authority's economic collapse.[6] That same month New Zealand announced entry bans on three Israeli settlers — Itamar Yehuda Levy, Harel David Levi, and Eliav Levi — accused of involvement in violence and displacement in the West Bank; Peters stressed that the measures targeted individuals rather than the Israeli government or Israeli public.[7][29] The three joined a blacklist that already included Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, and activist Daniella Weiss.[7]

A separate incident in May 2026 sharpened tensions further. New Zealand summoned the Israeli ambassador over what it characterized as National Security Minister Ben-Gvir's mistreatment of detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, footage of whom showed the activists bound and on their knees. Peters said the conduct reinforced the rationale for New Zealand's travel ban on Ben-Gvir and stated that New Zealand expected Israel to meet its international legal obligations, including in its treatment of New Zealanders who had participated in the flotilla.[30]

Notwithstanding this accumulation of disagreements, Peters has consistently rejected calls for broad sanctions against Israel, describing his government's approach as favoring targeted individual measures while remaining committed to a negotiated two-state solution and opposing immediate unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood.[31] As of the most recent reporting, Israel and New Zealand maintain full formal diplomatic relations, with Israel's ambassador resident in Wellington and New Zealand's ambassador accredited from Ankara.[2][8]

Several episodes in the bilateral relationship involve disputed facts or competing characterizations. In the 2004 passport affair, New Zealand officials, including Prime Minister Clark, described the two convicted individuals as Israeli intelligence agents, while the men and the Israeli government disputed that characterization; the alleged link to a third Israeli, Zeev William Barkan, was attributed to New Zealand sources rather than an official finding.[4][17] Sources also differ on whether New Zealand downgraded or temporarily severed diplomatic ties following the convictions.[6][18]

Resolution 2334 described Israeli settlement activity as a flagrant violation of international law, whereas Israel maintains that the West Bank is disputed rather than occupied territory and that Jewish settlement there does not violate international law.[5][21] New Zealand's role went beyond voting: it joined Malaysia, Venezuela, and Senegal in initiating the measure, prompting Israel to recall its ambassador.[22]

The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs argues that New Zealand's support for the 2012 UN General Assembly resolution granting Palestine non-member observer State status involved a distinction between the UN status change and actual statehood, with Wellington stating that statehood could only be conferred with Israel's agreement.[21] Sources also give different dates for the closure of Israel's Wellington embassy, citing 2002 and 2003 respectively.[9][13]