Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially inaugurated Fiji’s resident embassy in Jerusalem. 17 September 2025 Photo: Fiji Government
The coordinator of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre (FWCC) says Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is "not on the right side of history" by opening an embassy in Jerusalem.
Rabuka inaugurated Fiji's permanent mission in the contested city last week, joining six other countries with embassies there, including Papua New Guinea and the United States.
He received a warm welcome from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Only a handful of countries recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which is a disputed territory between Israelis and Palestinians.
The move has been condemned by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which said it considers it as an aggression against the Palestinian people.
FWCC's Shamima Ali said the Jerusalem embassy undermines Fiji's efforts to support human rights.
She said while there is still widespread support for Israel in Fiji, there is also growing opposition.
"Because they see how wrong this whole thing is, what Israel is doing in Palestine and what Netanyahu is doing in Palestine and how wrong it is."
Ali said Rabuka is vote buying from Fiji Zionists.
"Elections are next year and I don't think his political career, nationally, will be injured in any way, will be affected, because of the support Zionism has in our country," she said.
"But internationally I believe that he's not on the right side of history."
Ali said she is ashamed and embarrassed of Fiji opening up the embassy.
Rabuka said the decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem was an all-of-government move.
Rabuka said he had decided to open an embassy there when he was prime minister in the 1990s in the post-coup landscape.
But he said the embassy decision was made by government, not any one of the parties in government.
"Our normal defence partners moved away from Fiji after the coup in '87 - Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America, they all... turned their back on Fiji.
"Fiji had to survive; Fiji had to continue to man our peacekeeping battalions and equip them, and Israel was one of those who stepped forward."
Rabuka said he spoke to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu about the ocean of peace declaration.
"He asked about the Pacific forum of leaders; I said that we had just finished one and we declared the Pacific as an ocean of peace.
"I mentioned that I'd be looking forward to getting their cooperation and assistance, as they have been doing, all of them, even though they're fighting, they are looking for ways to end the fighting and work towards peace, which was very encouraging."
On Sunday, Britain, Canada and Australia recognised a Palestinian state in a move borne out of frustration over the Gaza war and intended to promote a two-state solution, prompting a furious response from Israel.
The decision by three major Western nations, which have been traditional allies of Israel, aligned them with about 140 other countries also backing Palestinians' aspiration to forge an independent homeland from the Israeli-occupied territories.
Of the 193 UN member states, 147 recognise a Palestinian state.
Other nations, including France, are expected to follow suit this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the move.
"I have a clear message to those leaders who recognise a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre of October 7: You are giving a huge reward to terrorism," he said, referring to Palestinian militant group Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the nearly two-year war in Gaza.
The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to support a two-state solution. There were only ten votes against but four of them came from the Pacific.
While recognition was a largely symbolic measure, Anas Iqtait, from the Australian National University's Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, said it was one every country, including New Zealand, could play a role in.
The New Zealand government has condemned the deadly 7 October attacks by Hamas, as well Israel's assault on Gaza that has caused widespread death and destruction.
It is also repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire, sanctioned several Israeli Ministers and put up nearly NZ$40 million in humanitarian aid.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has stressed the importance of having the most up to date information before the government's decision on recognising a Palestinian state is finalised and announced later this week.
Peters will attend a UN conference on a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine to listen, not speak, to what other countries are saying on the issue.
