The current relationship between the Philippines and Israel is warm and friendly and has been progressing in scope mainly at the latter’s initiative in extending support through agricultural and tech cooperation.
This relationship is rooted in a deep historical bond. During WW2, the Philippines sheltered some 1,300 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. Israel even built a monument in the city of Rishon LeZion south of Tel Aviv in honor of President Manuel Quezon’s open-door policy during that time.The Philippine Embassy in Israel holds its annual Quezon tributes there. The Philippines also supported the 1947 partition plan that preceded Israel’s founding.
At present, an estimated 30,000 Filipinos work in Israel, many as caregivers, and are highly valued as a work force by Israel. The country has expressed readiness to absorb more Filipino workers in other fields beyond health care and is a key player in the US-initiated Pax Silica project in Clark, Pampanga that promises to transform the Philippines into a regional tech hub.
So, when the Philippines joined other international missions in boycotting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before the UN on September 24, a question arose: How will this affect the relationship between Manila and Tel Aviv? Afterall, Netanhayu described all those who had walked out on him “moral cowards”.
Netanyahu proceeded with his speech, describing Israel’s wars as self-defense. “We have no other choice,” he said, describing an existential threat to Israel, even as he flatly rejected the genocide accusations over Gaza.
Manila has consistently pursued a foreign policy backing a two-state solution that calls for peaceful co-existence between Israel and a sovereign Palestinian state. After the October 7, 2023 terror attack by Hamas militants operating from Gaza Strip’s massive underground tunnels, Israel launched a retaliatory offensive that has practically levelled Gaza into ruins.
The international community has come down hard against Israel for its conduct of war and the so-called settler violence in the West Bank. An independent commission of inquiry set up by the UN Human Rights Council concluded that Israel committed genocide, a finding still being contested by the latter.A US-initiated peace settlement that calls for Hamas’ disarmament in exchange for Israeli withdrawal is stalled over which side should move first.
From where we sit, it is unlikely that Israel will get back at the Philippines in the same manner it has reacted to trade restrictions imposed by several European countries, e.g. withdrawing the accreditation of Dutch diplomats working in the West Bank following Netherland’s move to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. The Philippines does not regard the walkout as an escalation, even as it has been critical of Israel lately. And Israel needs more friends than enemies at this point.
In an extreme case, Israel could sanction Manila on defense and security. The Armed Forces of the Philippines’ key systems are Israeli supplied – its SPYDER air defense, light tanks and ATMOS howitzers, and maritime patrol aircraft for West Philippine Sea surveillance. Many were bought government-to-government, so the Philippines depends on Israel for spares, upgrades and support. Israel withholding these would be drastic and would hurt its own export industry, but it is the kind of leverage the Philippines cannot easily replace.
The walkout is also unlikely to affect an estimated 30,000 Filipinos workers in Israel as it will create an unwanted gap in its own vaunted healthcare system.
Netanyahu is facing stiff criticisms domestically and is facing elections on October 27. His UN speech, strong and viral as it is, seemed, as several analysts also observed, more addressed to his voters at home.
