Israel Welcomes New Ambassadors, Including 1st from This Country

The sixth and final ambassador to present her letters of credence was the Ambassador of Palau, H.E. Ms. Ilana Seid, the country’s first ambassador to the State of Israel.

By TPS

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog received the official credentials on Monday today of the new ambassadors from the nations of Moldova, Ghana, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, and Mongolia. Also, for the first time, an ambassador was received from the Republic of Palau, a small Pacific nation comprised of 340 islands.

The office of the President of Israel is mainly ceremonial and the reception of foreign dignitaries and new ambassadors to Israel is one of his responsibilities. Even the ambassadors from nations that do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capitol must travel there for these ceremonies.

The various ambassadors presented their credentials in a series of official ceremonies at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. The incoming ambassadors were welcomed by the IDF Band playing their respective national anthems and they inspected an IDF honor guard in the Ceremonial Plaza, after which they presented their letters of credence to the President in the Great Hall. The President held an audience with each ambassador, after which each ambassador signed the guest book. At the end of each ceremony, the Israeli national anthem was played.

The first ambassador to present his letters of credence to the President was the Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova, H.E. Mr. Alexandr Roitman. The President congratulated the Ambassador on his promotion from serving as Moldova’s chargé d’affaires in Israel and noted that Israel and Moldova are marking thirty years of diplomatic relations. Ambassador Roitman extended Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s personal regards to the President and an invitation to visit Moldova.

The second ambassador to present her letters of credence to the President was the Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Ms. Lydia Ofosua Amartey, previously Ghana’s deputy ambassador to Egypt. Ambassador Amartey extended the greetings of Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, whom the President met at Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in London. The President and the Ambassador discussed the potential for Ghanaian tourism and pilgrimages in Israel.

The third ambassador to present his letters of credence to the President was the non-resident Ambassador of the Republic of Zimbabwe, H.E. Air Marshal (Rtd.) Shebba Shumbayawonda, who has been serving as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Egypt since 2019. The President expressed his hopes for the expansion of relations in various fields.

The fourth ambassador to present her letters of credence to the President was the non-resident Ambassador of New Zealand, H.E. Ms. Zoe Coulson-Sinclair, who is concurrently serving as New Zealand’s ambassador to Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Jordan. The President and the Ambassador discussed Māori history and culture, and the President noted that his late father, the Sixth President, Chaim Herzog, made the first state visit by an Israeli head of state to New Zealand. The President and the Ambassador discussed the importance of strengthening relations between Israel and New Zealand in a variety of fields, including the fight against the climate crisis and environmental conservation.

The fifth ambassador to present his letters of credence to the President was the non-resident Ambassador of the Republic of Mongolia, H.E. Mr. Munkhbayar Gombosuren, a former Mayor of Ulaanbaatar and Mongolian minister of construction and urban development, who is concurrently serving as Mongolia’s ambassador to Türkiye and Azerbaijan. The President and the Ambassador discussed possibilities for Israeli-Mongolian cooperation on environmental issues, including forestation.

The sixth and final ambassador to present her letters of credence to the President was the non-resident Ambassador of the Republic of Palau, H.E. Ms. Ilana Seid, Palau’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The President began by congratulating Ambassador Seid on making history as Palau’s first ambassador to the State of Israel. Ambassador Seid proudly told the President about her Jewish heritage as the granddaughter of a Jew from California who fought in the Canadian air force in the Second World War and later immigrated to Palau. The President thanked Palau for its international support for Israel, and they discussed ways for Israel to help Palau further in matters of agriculture, technology, and desalination. The President expressed concern about the impact of the climate crisis on Palau, including rising sea levels.