As Israel and Thailand mark 72 years of diplomatic relations, the Thai Ambassador, Boonyarit Vichienpuntu, led a group of Thai workers and a representative of the Foreign Ministry to Jerusalem’s Tisch Family Zoological Gardens to meet the elephants there.
“The Thai elephant is very important. They are in the heart of the Thai people. They are the symbols of living diplomacy, the good relations between Thailand and Israel,” Vichienpuntu told The Jerusalem Post during the visit.
“The elephant is part of our people-to-people relations.”
The elephants, which were gifted by the Kingdom of Thailand to Israel in 1994 following a personal request of late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, represent the friendship between the two nations, he said.
The four original elephants – Kwanjai, Oraphan, Panyanucha, and Sunisa – were all female. Today, there are three females, and one male elephant. Along with the group led by the ambassador, staff members from the Post went inside their enclosure.
The ambassador and other Thai officials visit the elephants regularly to ensure they are well looked after and in good health. The zoo’s elephant keepers told the Post that they speak to the elephants in Thai to give them a connection to their country of origin.
Vichienpuntu: Everyone, confident, committed to blossoming Israel-Thailand relationship
“Everyone is confident and committed to the growing and blossoming relationship between our two countries,” Vichienpuntu told the Post, standing in front of the elephant enclosure.
He noted that Israel and Thailand cooperate across several different fields. One of these, he said, is agriculture, and he pointed to Thailand’s implementation of Israeli irrigation technology.
Vichienpuntu said Israel is the ideal partner in science, technology, innovation, and start-ups.
Next week, the vice president of the Weizmann Institute of Science will travel to Thailand to discuss quantum AI technologies. Israeli businesses, though, face boycotts from movements like Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions.
Israeli businesses, though, face boycotts from movements like BDS. Asked if he was concerned that Thailand may also face such treatment if it advances its partnership with Israel, Vichienpuntu dismissed the notion, saying that such efforts would do little to hurt the kingdom economically.
“We don’t see any obstacles. Our main trading partners are still the Americans and the Chinese. I don’t see these two countries having any problem with Israel.”
To the contrary, Israel and Thailand are pushing for closer ties, and this year, for the first time ever, the Thai Festival will take place in Israel. The event is set to be held at a venue outside of Tel Aviv, joining a select list of municipalities that host Thai festivals, including London, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, and Berlin.
“Thailand is now selling our soft power,” Vichienpuntu said. “You like Thai food, Thai massage, Muay Thai, everything. This is soft power. So the Thai festival is an international platform to serve this idea.”
The attention is not one-sided. According to data from the PassportCard index in late 2025, Thailand is the most visited destination by Israeli travelers. There are also about 65,000 Thai people living and working in Israel.
After October 7, Israel suspended the work licenses of over 100,000 Palestinians, leaving a large gap in manpower in industries such as food and agriculture. The ambassador told the Post that many of these jobs have since been filled by Thai workers, as well as those from India and Sri Lanka.
The Hamas-led attacks of October 7, which resulted in the murder of some 1,200 people and the abduction of over 250 others, left a wound in Israel that was shared by Thailand, Vichienpuntu indicated, noting that many Thai nationals were killed that day.
Some 42 Thai workers were murdered in southern Israel during the massacres. Among those was Sudthisak Rinthalak, whose remains were kidnapped into Gaza. He was among the last to be returned from Hamas captivity late last year.
For Vichienpuntu, though, despite the toll shared by his country, the attacks failed to diminish the friendship between the countries. Rather, he envisioned the relationship between Israel and Thailand would continue to grow on pillars of shared love and benefit.
On the personal side, he said Israeli society had a deep love of visiting Thailand because, in his view, Thailand exemplifies hospitality and is happy to receive Israelis as “our friends, our members of family.”
On the economic side, he added the two nations were engaging in a “cooperation for humanity and sustainability” and that Thailand was eager to share in Israel’s technological, industrial, and agricultural prowess.