President Isaac Herzog diverted from his efforts to promote a national unity government to receive the credentials of five new ambassadors to Israel on Monday.
Under the country’s current government, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Bayingana of Rwanda, Christophe Parisot of France, Arad Benko of Austria, Stella Ronner Grubacic of the Netherlands, and Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable of Ghana were the last ambassadors to present their credentials.
They will serve out their terms under Israel’s next government.
Israel and Rwanda established relations in the early 1960s, but severed them in 1973. Decades later, in 1998, Israel and Rwanda renewed their relations, which have remained cordial. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Rwanda in 2016, and Rwanda President Paul Kagame visited Israel in July 2017 in return.
Since taking office in the immediate aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, Kagame has spent the past 26 years rebuilding his country and forming strong international partnerships. Israel and Rwanda cooperate on many levels, including innovation, technology, agriculture, and security. Rwanda and Israel signed several bilateral agreements earlier this year when Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe visited Israel.
Bayingana said that he would work to further expand the relationship between the two countries.
Neither Herzog nor Parisot tried to pretend that relations between France and Israel were rosy. However, Parisot noted that, despite their diplomatic challenges, the people-to-people relations and cultural ties between France and Israel remained strong.
Herzog and Parisot also discussed the chaos and unrest that have overtaken France in recent weeks. Herzog recalled how different Champs-Élysées had felt when he accompanied his late father, then-president Chaim Herzog, on a state visit to France in 1988.
Herzog recalls time of 'amazing' French-Israeli relations
Herzog also recalled a time when relations between France and Israel were so positive they were “amazing.”
Parisot later wrote in the guest book that he would devote all of his energy to improving relations between the two countries.
Benko previously said returning to Israel felt like coming home. Indeed, it was. He was born in Haifa; he left the country as a child, and returned some 20 years ago as a spokesman for the Austrian embassy. He said that when he left Israel, he had a hard time in school because the only language he spoke was Hebrew. Aside from the usual diplomatic subjects and antisemitism, Benko and Herzog also discussed the Jews of Austria.
Michal Herzog, the president's wife, seldom sits in on the presentation of diplomatic credentials. This time, however, she attended the meetings with both the French and Austrian ambassadors and joined the ensuing conversations.
While welcoming Rubacic, Herzog spoke of the “special relationship” between Israel and the Netherlands. But he also expressed concern over the discourse emanating from Holland and some of the government’s own negative comments. He warned that Israel and Holland’s relations were currently under strain. Rubacic replied that she was happy to be in Israel and stressed the importance of highlighting the good relations between the two countries, which are based on shared values.
The significance Israel attaches to its ties with the Netherlands was evident in the brief, closed-door tete-a-tete Herzog had with the ambassador after the formalities concluded.
Most African countries with which Israel has diplomatic ties are proud of their culture and heritage. Ghana is no exception. Ofosu-Amable and her entourage arrived at the President’s Residence in national dress. Herzog was struck by the swell of colors and commented on it. He also noted that Israel’s relations with Ghana span seven decades, dating back to when former premier Golda Meir made her historic visit to Africa.
Israel trained Ghanaian soldiers early in relationship
In the early years of their relationship, Israel helped to train soldiers in Ghana’s army. Ghana stands out for the confidence it places in its women. Many of the country’s diplomats and high-ranking officials are women, and the ambassador is among them.
Where Israel and Ghana differ is their stance on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ghana’s President John Mahama told Ofosu-Amable that she must remember that her mission is to uphold Ghana’s longstanding commitment to the two-state solution.