Pacific island nation Nauru opens its first Israel embassy in Jerusalem

The Pacific island nation of Nauru inaugurates its first embassy in Israel in Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announces alongside visiting Nauruan Foreign Minister Lionel Aingimea.

“Israel’s relations with the nations of the South Pacific are advancing tremendously,” Sa’ar says in a readout from the Foreign Ministry.

He adds that through MASHAV, the Foreign Ministry’s international development cooperation program, Israeli emergency-care doctors will work to strengthen local medical capabilities in Nauru, and Israel will provide the nation with “medical equipment, including cardiac ultrasound equipment, as well as water-purification systems capable of producing tens of thousands of liters of clean water each day.”

Aingimea asserts Nauru’s “unwavering” support for the Jewish state, saying it is “one of Israel’s most reliable and consistent diplomatic allies at the United Nations,” voting with Jerusalem 71% of the time — a number he says “will increase very quickly.”

Israel has previously thanked Nauru – among the smallest nations in the world, with a population of about 12,000 – for its support in the UN and other forums, where Jerusalem has faced increasing isolation in the aftermath of its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Sa’ar and Aingimea agreed on the embassy opening during a June 2025 meeting in Fiji. Israel is currently represented in Nauru by a non-resident ambassador based in Fiji.

The move reflects efforts by the Foreign Ministry “to strengthen Jerusalem’s international standing and encourage additional countries to expand their diplomatic presence in the capital,” according to a ministry statement.

Eight other countries have opened or relocated their embassies to Jerusalem in recent years, including the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Paraguay and Somaliland, as well as Pacific countries Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced plans last month to move their embassies to Jerusalem.

Most countries do not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and base their embassies in Tel Aviv, often opening smaller consulates in Jerusalem.