Israel–Paraguay relations refers to the current and historical relationship between

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

. Both countries have full diplomatic relations since the middle of the 20th century, and each has been represented by a full embassy in the other, until 2018.

History

In 1947, Paraguay was one of the 33 countries that voted for the

United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine was a proposal by the United Nations to partition Mandatory Palestine at the end of the British Mandate. Drafted by the U.N. Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) on 3 September 1947, the Pl ...

, effectively paving way for the creation of Israel. The two countries opened up diplomatic relations in 1949. Israel's embassy in

Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...

was closed in 2002 due to budget cuts, although some legal professionals in Israel alleged that it was on religious grounds (as it related to mutual recognition of marriages by both countries). It was reopened in July 2015. In 2005, the Paraguayan embassy in Mevaseret Zion was closed, also due to budgetary constraints, and it was reopened in 2013 in the

Tel Aviv District The Tel Aviv District (; ) is the geographically smallest yet also the most densely populated of the six administrative districts of Israel, with a population of 1.35 million residents. It is 98.9% Jewish and 1.10% Arab (0.7% Muslim, 0.4% Chris ...

city of

Herzliya Herzliya ( ; , / ) is an affluent List of Israeli cities, city in the Israeli coastal plain, central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it had a populatio ...

. On May 21, 2018, Paraguayan President

Horacio Cartes Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara (; born 5 July 1956) is a Paraguayan politician and businessman who is serving as president of the Colorado Party (Paraguay), Colorado Party since 2023, having previously served as president of Paraguay from 2013 to 2 ...

announced that the Paraguayan embassy moved to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, becoming the third country in the world, after the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

, to recognize the city as the diplomatic capital of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

greatly appreciated it; on the very day of the transfer, he attended the opening ceremony and there expressed an enduring friendship. This was reversed in September 2018 by Cartes' successor,

Mario Abdo Benítez Mario Abdo Benítez (; born 10 November 1971) is a Paraguayan politician who served as the 51st president of Paraguay from 2018 to 2023. He was previously a Senate of Paraguay, senator and served as List of presidents of the Senate of Paraguay, ...

. Foreign Minister Luis Castiglioni stated that "Paraguay wants to contribute to an intensification of regional diplomatic efforts to achieve a broad, fair and lasting peace in the Middle East." Israel subsequently shut down its embassy and cancelled a delegation aimed at aiding Paraguay's economic development. In May 2023, President-elect

Santiago Peña Santiago Peña Palacios (; born 16 November 1978) is a Paraguayan politician and economist who is the 52nd and current president of Paraguay since 2023. In addition to his political career, Peña has served on leadership boards for the Central ...

announced that he intended to move the Paraguayan Embassy in Israel from

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

again after being sworn in as president. After being sworn in, President Peña followed through on his promise, announcing the Paraguayan Embassy would open in

before the end of 2023. In 2024, Paraguay supported Israel in the South African case against Israel. In 2024, Paraguay voted against an arms embargo against Israel at the

United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a United Nations Regional Gro ...

. In December, Paraguay's embassy in Jerusalem was inaugurated.

Embassy

On December 12, 2024, Paraguay opened its new embassy in

. President

took part in the ceremony and was addressed by Prime Minister

who declared: “Jerusalem will always be the undivided capital of Israel...This is a fact, and you recognized it. Thank you for opening the embassy here,”.

Foreign aid

In January 2016, Israel sent aid to assist Paraguay in coping with the heavy flooding that had taken place there and had displaced about 100,000 people. In June 2016,

Netafim Netafim is a manufacturer of irrigation equipment owned by Orbia Group. The company produces drippers, dripperlines, sprinklers and micro-emitters. Netafim also manufactures and distributes crop management technologies, including monitoring and ...

sent advanced

drip irrigation Drip irrigation or trickle irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surfac ...

systems to help Paraguay with a drought through Israel's embassy in Asunción.

Trade relations

Israel's exports to Paraguay totaled US$6.69 million in 2014, focusing on electronics and minerals. Paraguay's exports to Israel in the same year totaled US$145 million, made up almost exclusively of frozen meat and soybeans. In 2005, when Israel's exports to Paraguay totaled US$2.5 million, the two countries signed a mutual export agreement, which stipulated that each country would help increase mutual trade. In 2010, Israel and Paraguay also agreed to cooperate on agriculture and signed as customs agreement. In 2015 it was reported that the

Paraguayan Army The Paraguayan Army () is the ground force branch of the Armed Forces of Paraguay. It is organized into three corps and nine divisions, and several commands and direction. It has gone to war on many occasions, notably in the War of the Triple A ...

purchased a number of

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

light machine guns from Israel Weapon Industries.

High-level visits

* In November 2005, Vice-President Luis Castiglioni of Paraguay made an official visit to Israel. * In November 2013, Paraguay's minister of industry and commerce Gustavo Leite visited Israel for its WATEC water technology conference, as a guest of then-minister of economy

Naftali Bennett Naftali Bennett (, ; born 25 March 1972) is an Israeli politician and businessman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 13 June 2021 to 30 June 2022, and as the alternate prime minister from 1 July to 8 November 2022. Bennett was t ...

. * In July 2016, President

made an official visit to Israel, the first by a Paraguayan president. Among other things, he signed a memorandum of understanding under which Israel would assist Paraguay technologically.

References

External links

Official Website of the Embassy of Israel in Asunción, Paraguay

General Information of the Embassy of Paraguay in Jerusalem, Israel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Israel-Paraguay relations Bilateral relations of Paraguay