Today is 1st June, very special day between Nepal and Israel relationship. Today Nepal and Israel are celebrating their 63th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
With the established of their diplomatic relations on 1 June 1960, Nepal became the first South Asian country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel at embassy level. The state of Israel opened its Embassy in Kathmandu in March 1961.
This was the time when most of the Asian countries including China and India had no formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Nepal opened a diplomatic office first in Rome (to avoid Arab hostility by opening embassy in Israel) to deal with Israeli affairs and later Nepalese embassy in Egypt was assigned to deal with this task. Nepal finally opened an honorary Consulate General in Israel in 1993 and embassy in 2007. Development of Nepal-Israel relations is the best example of Nepalese independence over its foreign policy issue and a set back to the common perception that New Delhi has the final say over Nepalese external affairs.
Ambassador Goder to pay respects to BP. photo credit Israel in Nepal
Ambassador Goder to pay respects to BP. photo credit Israel in Nepal
On this occasion Israeli Ambassador to Nepal Hanan Goder accompanied by his deputy Ms. Dana Fisher visited the B.P. Museum, Sundarijal, to pay respects late B.P. Koirala .
The legendary leaders B.P. Koirala and David Ben-Gurion established the diplomatic relations on 1 June 1960.
file photo Israeli Embassy Nepal – PRIME MIN. OF NEPAL, B.P. KOIRALA MEETS ISRAEL PRIME MIN. DAVID BEN GURION, TEL AVIV.
The interaction between these two countries goes back to the First Asian Socialist Conference held in Rangoon (Yangoon) in the year 1953, when Nepalese Prime Minister BP Koirala met with Israeli leader Moshe Sharett. Sharett visited Nepal in 1956 to convince Nepalese leadership for the establishment of bilateral relations between the two countries. Initially Nepal rejected this proposal due to the fear of Arab and Indian repercussions. But later, it realised the need of Israel for its own technological and agricultural development.
Nepalese Ambassador to Israel Ms. Kanta Rijal with Israeli President
In 1958, BP Koirala paid a visit to Israel. After getting elected as Nepal’s first democratically elected Prime Minister in 1959, Koirala paid an official visit to Israel where he spoke in the conference at Weizman Institute of Science on the topic of “National Development”. During this visit many rounds of talk were held over the issues of technological and agricultural assistance and the establishment of official diplomatic relations between the two countries. Israel immediately extended its hand and completed many joint projects at Nepalganj and Nawalpur.
The warm relations between the two countries continued even when King Mahendra dissolved Nepal’s democratically elected government in 1960.
Planted by late King Mahendra in Israel.
Israeli Foreign Ministry in its statement clarified that the internal political turmoil will not affect relations between the two countries. King Mahendra made an official five day visit to Israel in 1963 and invited Israeli President Zalman Shazar to Nepal, which he accepted and paid an official visit in 1966 and stayed in Nepal for eight long days.
Planted by late King Mahendra in Israel.
In 1968, Crown Prince Birendra also visited Israel while Moshe Dayan, Israel’s legendry war hero and Foreign Minister also visited Nepal in 1979. This continued with many high profile visits from both the sides in the upcoming years. Both the countries continued to maintain their cordial relations even after Nepal became Republic in 2008.
Nepal continued its support for the establishment of peace and stability in the region. It welcomed every initiative to bring peace and a just solution to the problem of Israel-Palestine conflict. It welcomed Camp David Accord signed between Israel and Egypt in 1978. When Israel and PLO signed the historic Oslo Agreement in 1993 to discard violence and find a peaceful solution to the Israel Palestine conflict, Nepalese Prime Minster wrote letters to appreciate Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Chairman Yasser Arafat for their courageous decision toward regional stability and peace.
Currently, Nepal and Israel are jointly working on many development projects ranging from health, infrastructure and community development in Nepal.
In 2012, Israel and Nepal issued a joint postal stamp featuring the highest (Mount Everest) and lowest places onthe earth (Dead Sea) which is in Nepal and Israel respectively.
The foundation of Nepal-Israel relations is based on the principles of trust and understanding. These two countries have huge potential for future cooperation. Exchange of Israeli technological sophistication and Nepal’s rich human resource should continue in future for the benefit of both the countries and they should jointly explore other possible areas of cooperation. In future, Nepal and Israeli’s tourism industry can jointly cooperate to promote tourism in Nepal. This move will turn Nepal to be the best alternative for the young Israeli tourists who desperately look for economical adventure destinations for holiday after their compulsory military service.
Mount Everest and Dead Sea Stones Exchange in 2013.
High-level visits from Nepal to Israel
Former Prime Minister of Nepal, the late B.P. Koirala paid an official visit to Israel in 1960 after the establishment of the diplomatic ties between Israel and Nepal.
The late Majesty King Mahendra paid a State Visit to Israel in September 1963.
King Mahendra in Israel
In 1968 Crown Prince (later king) Birendra paid a two-week study visit to Israel.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives,. Daman Nath Dhungana, paid an official visit to Israel in January 1992 at the invitation of the Speaker of the Knesset.
The former Prime Minister, G. P. Koirala, paid an official visit to Israel in June 1993 at the invitation of the late Mr. Yitzhak Rabin, then Prime Minister of Israel.
Minister of Agriculture and Local Development Ram Chandra Poudel,later deputy prime minister, paid an official visit to Israel from in November 1993 at the invitation of the Government of Israel.
The Honourable Mr. Hasta Babahdur Malla, then Assistant Minister of Education participated in the Jerusalem International Conference of Ministers of Education from 8-11 January 1996.
Minister of Communications Jhala Nath Khanal paid an official visit to Israel in September 1997, at the invitation of the then Minister of Communications of Israel, Mrs. Limor Livnat.
Minister of Agriculture Chakra Prasad Bastola, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, paid an official visit to Israel in September 1999 at the Invitation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the State of Israel.
Mr. Ram Milan Upadhyay, former Executive Director of National Dairy Development Board, and Mr. Suresh Kumar Verma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr. Lava Prasad Devacota, attended a “Workshop for Secretariat of the Ministries of Education in Developing Countries” being held jointly by MASHAV (Center for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem) and the Ministry of Education of Israel) from 4-11 November 2001.
A six-member Nepalese Parliamentary Delegation comprising members of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, including the Secretary of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, and headed by the Honourable Mr. Gehendra Giri, MP, paid a visit to Israel from 18-21 November 2001 at the friendly invitation of the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament).
Minister of Information and Communication Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta paid an official visit to Israel in March 2002accompanied by Bhoop Raj Pandey, Chairman of Nepal Telecommunication Authority and Raghubar Lal Shrestha, General Manager of Nepal Telecommunication.
Minister of State for Science and Technology Bhakta Bahadur Balayar paid an official visit to Israel from in April 2002. He was accompanied by Mahesh Man Shrestha, Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
A team of Caucus of Woman Parliamentarians of Nepal headed by Deputy Speaker Chitra Lekha Yadav paid an official visit to Israel at the Invitation of the Deputy Speaker of Knesset Eti Livni in June/July 2003.
A seven members delegation comprising of senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and Agricultural Development Bank headed by Mr. Ram Chandra Maharjan, General Manager of the Bank visited Israel from 9-17 November 2004 at the invitation of the Centre for International Cooperation (MASHAV) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel to attend a tailor made workshop, arranged for them.
Sahana Pradhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, paid an official visit to Israel in July 2007 at the invitation of the Government of Israel. She was accompanied by Hira Bahadur Thapa, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal.
A six members Nepalese Telecommunication Delegation headed by Mr. Yubaraj Pandey, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications of Nepal visited Israel from 9-15 January 2008.
Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav, Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, paid an official visit to Israel in March 2010 at the invitation of Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel Shalom Simhon.
High-level visits from Israel to Nepal
The late President of Israel, Zalman Shazar, made a state visit to Nepal in March 1966.
The late General Moshe Dayan, in his capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, paid an official visit to Nepal in 1979 at the invitation of His Majesty’s Government of Nepal.
A four-member delegation of the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) headed by the Deputy Speaker MK Nawaf Mazalha, paid a friendly visit to Nepal in December 2001, at the invitation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
A three members delegation from the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Centre (MCTC) headed by Ms. Mazal Renford, director of the center visited Nepal from 31 October – 5 November 2004 to attend the Silver Jubilee Function of the Seto Gurans National Child Development Services. Seto Gurans and MCTC have a long professional ties in promoting early childhood education in Nepal.
Rachel Adatto, Chairperson of the Israel-Nepal Parliamentary Friendship Association, paid an official visit to Nepal in April 2010.
This updated article credited to Afroz Khan of NIICE and Israeli embassy in Nepal web page/fb page.
Video – Ambassador Hanan Goder in conversation with Mr. Madan Lamsal, New Business Age.
also read this Diplomatic Relations between Nepal-Israel : Reconnoitring from New Dimension
