Israel–Tonga Relations

Israel and Tonga established diplomatic relations in June 1977. Israel's representation in Tonga is non-resident and is managed by the Israeli ambassador in New Zealand.[1]

Several Israeli ambassadors have formally presented credentials to the Tongan monarch. Shemi Tzur presented his credentials to King George Tupou V in March 2011. Yosef Livne followed, presenting credentials to King Tupou VI in November 2013. Itzhak Gerberg presented credentials in June 2017, and Ran Yaakoby presented his credentials to King Tupou VI in September 2021.[5]

The countries signed a visa-waiver agreement in 2010.[6] The dedicated Israel–Tonga page says it came into force in April 2017 and that Tongan passport holders may travel for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa, while visas remain required for employment, work, or study.[5] Under current entry rules, visitors from Tonga must nevertheless obtain ETA-IL authorization before departure; an approved ETA-IL permits stays of up to 90 days per visit.[3]

Bilateral engagement has included a number of high-profile diplomatic encounters. In April 2011, then-Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin made an official visit to Tonga. Ambassador Shemi Tzur attended the funeral of King George Tupou V in March 2012.[5]

In August 2012, Tonga's prime minister traveled to Israel accompanied by the ministers of education and health and the chief executive of the prime minister's office. The delegation held meetings with Israel's president, prime minister, and foreign minister.[5] Ambassador Yosef Livne represented Israel at the July 2015 coronation of King Tupou VI at the Free Wesleyan Centenary Church in Nuku'alofa, describing the ceremonies as solemn, well-organized, and reflective of Tongan traditions.[5]

More recent official records state that Ambassador Ran Yaakoby and Deputy Chief of Mission Yael Holan met King Tupou VI in October 2022. In June 2023, Yaakoby met Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, and the two agreed to continue pursuing cooperation in agriculture, water management, and renewable energy with MASHAV's support.[2]

Israel has extended humanitarian and development assistance to Tonga across several areas. In 2011, Reuven Rivlin, acting on behalf of the State of Israel, made a large donation of medical supplies for diabetes treatment to Tonga's Ministry of Health. Israel also made multiple donations through the Insulin for Life charity to improve access to insulin and diabetes supplies for Tongans who could not otherwise afford or obtain them.[2]

In 2012, a Tongan delegation visited Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem, while experts from CINADCO—the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Centre for International Agricultural Development Cooperation—demonstrated farm and greenhouse technologies. Israel's Foreign Ministry describes economic cooperation as developing through new connections in primary industries, with Israeli assistance focused mainly on health and development.[2]

Following the January 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption and tsunami, Israel's embassy and MASHAV sent a container of food supplies to affected families after Jenny Salesa advised them of an acute need among children. First-aid kits and drones were also sent to assist people cut off from regular access routes.[2]

Between 2022 and 2023, Tongan delegates attended a MASHAV course on intensive and sustainable vegetable production, including hydroponics, greenhouse cultivation, and drip irrigation. In July 2024, MASHAV funded a project for the displaced Atatā Si'i community that combined Home Biogas units with a Netafim drip-irrigation system. The off-grid technologies were selected to support food production, disaster preparedness, and climate resilience.[2]

Tonga's positions on Israel-related resolutions at the United Nations General Assembly offer one limited indicator of the relationship's political dimensions, but they do not measure the bilateral relationship as a whole. The UN Watch database, whose resolution data was last updated on July 31, 2026, records that since 2015 Tonga has voted for Israel on 18 resolutions, against Israel on 38, and abstained on 71—reported as 14% in favor, 30% against, and 56% abstentions.[7]

In 2023, the General Assembly considered 13 Israel-related resolutions, 12 of which were adopted by roll-call vote and one by consensus. Tonga voted against one such resolution.[8] Across the 12 recorded roll-call votes, Tonga voted in the same position as the United States once, opposite the United States twice, was partially aligned six times, and was absent three times, producing a 46% voting coincidence with the United States under the report's methodology.[9][8]

The reports recorded a marked change in 2024. The General Assembly considered 16 Israel-related resolutions, 15 by roll-call vote, and Tonga voted against eight of them.[10] Across the 15 roll-call votes, Tonga voted with the United States eight times, opposed it once, was partially aligned twice, and was absent four times, yielding a 73% voting coincidence with the United States.[10]

On September 18, 2024, Tonga opposed a General Assembly resolution that demanded an end to Israel's presence in Palestinian territories within 12 months and called for an Israeli military withdrawal to pre-1967 lines. The resolution passed by 124 votes to 14, with 43 abstentions; Tonga was among the 14 countries voting against it.[11] On September 12, 2025, Tonga voted against the General Assembly's New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, which outlined implementation of a two-state solution and a path toward recognition of a Palestinian state. The declaration passed by 142 votes to 10, with 12 abstentions, and Tonga was among the 10 opposing countries.[12]

A striking cultural curiosity connecting Israel and Tonga is the presence of six-pointed stars—visually identical to the Star of David—in prominent Tongan state and religious imagery. Tonga's national coat of arms displays a large white six-pointed star overlaid with a red cross, along with three smaller six-pointed stars; the same design appears on Tonga's royal flag and has also featured on official stamps and coins.[4]

Competing interpretations exist for the three smaller stars. Some associate them with Tonga's three main island groups, while others link them to the three royal dynasties of the current monarchy.[4] Historian Ian C. Campbell attributed the design of the coat of arms to Rev. Shirley Waldemar Baker, a Christian missionary who lived in Tonga for approximately thirty years in the late nineteenth century; other accounts credit a Tongan prince with the design. The National Library of Israel article concludes that, regardless of attribution, the symbols are Western in origin and likely reflect Christian missionary influence.[4]

Additional biblical and Jewish-associated imagery appears elsewhere in Tonga. The rose window of the Free Church of Tonga in Nuku'alofa features a large six-pointed star, and Tonga's highest peak bears the name Mount Zion.[4] The article connects these motifs to Christian missionary efforts to associate Tonga with biblical narratives and the ancient peoples of the Near East, rather than treating them as evidence of a historical Jewish presence in Tonga.[4]

The National Library of Israel article's author sent the question about the stars to Israel's ambassador in New Zealand, who is also responsible for relations with Tonga and happened to be visiting the islands at the time. After asking his Tongan hosts, the ambassador was unable to obtain a precise explanation for the imagery.[4]