Israeli President Isaac Herzog will depart on Wednesday, next week, on a four-day official visit to Panama and Costa Rica, deepening ties with two longstanding allies in Central America.
The trip marks the first-ever visit by an Israeli head of state to Panama. There, Herzog will meet President José Raúl Mulino, with whom he met at Davos earlier this year, and government officials to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Panama, a current UN Security Council member and early recogniser of Israel, maintains strong diplomatic and trade links with the Jewish state.
Herzog will also engage with Panama’s Jewish community.
He will then travel to Costa Rica to attend the inauguration of President-elect Laura Fernández Delgado on 8 May, at the invitation of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves Robles. Fernández, a conservative who won the election in February, will become the country’s second female president. Herzog is expected to meet the incoming leader, attend a state dinner, and hold talks with other world figures while engaging Costa Rica’s historic Jewish community.
Costa Rica has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters in the region since 1948, with recent free-trade ties and cooperation in agriculture and technology.
The visit underscores Israel’s efforts to bolster relations across Latin America amid a mixed diplomatic landscape in the hemisphere.
For South Africa, currently at odds with Israel over Gaza, it illustrates Jerusalem’s continued outreach to like-minded partners elsewhere.