Israel's Pacific Comeback Puts Taiwan's Three Allies Under Its Watch

​Maya Yaron, who wrapped up her tenure as Israel's representative to Taiwan in June 2026, moved seamlessly into a new and considerably more expansive posting: ambassador to Fiji — the first person to hold that role since Israel shuttered its embassy there three decades ago.

Yaron's mandate extends well beyond Fiji itself. Based in Suva, she also manages Israeli diplomatic relations with ten other Pacific Island nations: Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu — effectively making her and the newly reopened embassy Israel's primary diplomatic hub across the entire Pacific.

The appointment carries added weight for Taiwan. Three of the nations within Yaron's territory — Marshall Islands, Palau, and Tuvalu — are among Taiwan's small circle of formal diplomatic allies. The geographic overlap is a telling sign that the Pacific has become a contested arena where Israel, Taiwan, China, and other powers are all jostling for influence.

Israeli officials have been open about one of the central motivations behind the Pacific push: securing reliable voting support in international bodies, particularly at the United Nations General Assembly, where resolutions targeting Israel are routinely tabled.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar flew to Suva himself for the embassy's inauguration in early June 2026, describing the occasion as a clear signal of Israel's intention to deepen ties with Pacific partners. Fiji had already taken the reciprocal step of opening its own embassy in Israel in September 2025. Meeting with senior Fijian officials, Sa'ar said the reopening would allow Israel to "continue expanding our diplomatic activities around the world, especially in the Pacific region, and clearly signal our commitment to strengthening relations with friendly nations."

For Yaron, the assignment is a steep logistical challenge. She has described establishing a mission from scratch in such a distant region as "a very unique experience — complex and challenging — that I learn from every day."

Though Fiji's population sits below one million, the island nation functions as a regional hub with outsize strategic significance. Taiwan's own Taipei Trade Office in Suva, for example, covers a similar sweep of Pacific neighbors: Nauru, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and French Polynesia.

The Pacific Island nations' reputation for backing Israel at the UN is well documented. Data compiled by the monitoring organization UN Watch shows that as of July 2025, Micronesia had not cast a single vote against Israel at the General Assembly in over ten years — a record that even the United States could not match.

Steven Ratuva, a distinguished professor of Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, attributes this pattern to two overlapping forces. The first is historical: most Pacific Island nations were former German or Japanese-administered territories that passed into American trusteeship after World War II, gaining independence in the latter half of the 20th century. That trajectory left them with enduring ties to the Western political sphere. "Most Pacific Island nations have been close to the United States since the Cold War, and many naturally see themselves as part of the Western sphere of influence," Ratuva said.

The second factor is religious. Evangelical Christianity has gained significant ground across parts of the Pacific, particularly in Fiji, and evangelical theology tends to align closely with Zionism and global movements supporting Jewish return to the Holy Land. "Smaller religious groups that align with the American evangelical movement, or model themselves on it, are easily drawn to support Israel for religious reasons," Ratuva noted, adding that combining religion and politics creates "a very powerful positioning" on the world stage.

As Yaron departed Taipei, Israel Strulov arrived to succeed her as Israel's representative to Taiwan, also in June 2026. Aged approximately 54 to 55, Strulov brings an unusual profile to the Taiwan posting: the bulk of his diplomatic career has been focused on Japan, and he speaks functional Japanese.

Strulov underwent formal language training at the Kansai Japanese Language Center from October 2003 to June 2004, then served as first secretary for political affairs at Israel's Tokyo embassy from August 2005 to September 2010. A stint as counselor in the Northeast Asia division of Israel's foreign ministry was followed by a return to Tokyo as minister-counselor for political and politico-military affairs from August 2012 to August 2017. He later served as deputy chief of mission in Tokyo from August 2019 to August 2024. Immediately before his Taiwan appointment, he spent one year as director of Israel's Africa Division at the foreign ministry. （Related： Deter Now or Fight Later: Ukraine MP Brings Russia's Lesson to Taipei ｜ Latest ）

​Original Article in Chinese​