Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka last week formally opened the country’s new embassy in Jerusalem, fresh from gaining endorsement for his so-called “Ocean of Peace” proposal at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit in the Solomon Islands.

According to Rabuka, the Ocean of Peace “is not the absence of conflict, [but] the peace of mind that we in the Pacific feel, we would like to spread it to the rest of the world.” In fact, the declaration is intended to cover up the militarisation of the Pacific region and the alignment of Fiji and other countries with US imperialism, as it prepares for war against China.

Rabuka’s embrace and legitimization of the Zionist regime in Israel, which is carrying out a genocide in Gaza, further exposes the fraud that Fiji’s government is somehow promoting an “independent” and “peaceful” Pacific.

Rabuka headed from the PIF to Israel to inaugurate Fiji’s embassy at a ceremony alongside the prime minister and war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu on September 17. Fiji becomes the second Pacific nation after Papua New Guinea (PNG), and the seventh globally, to have a resident ambassador based in Jerusalem.

Rabuka declared that Fiji’s presence “reflects our desire to build bridges-not walls-between nations, cultures, and peoples.” He said “the people of Fiji” shared a very close religious and cultural connection to Jerusalem and described “your great nation,” Israel, as “the birthplace of Christianity.”

Netanyahu effusively responded: “We [are] brothers, we help one another… You recognize a truth that everybody should recognize, but few governments have so far. That this has been our capital for 3,000 years, since the days of King David.”

The claim is an historical fraud. Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as their capital, based on United Nations resolutions that reject Israel’s occupation since 1967 and its annexation of the city in 1980.

Referring to Gaza, Netanyahu dishonestly claimed: “We have just been engaged close to two years in a southern front war” with those who “wish to extinguish the life of the Jewish State. But they threaten the lives of all who share our values.”

UN Resolution 478 states that East Jerusalem is an occupied territory and calls on all UN member states to withdraw diplomatic missions from the city. In 2018 Washington, in a flagrant provocation, moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, followed by Honduras, Guatemala and Kosovo and more recently the Czech Republic.

UN investigators have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza to “destroy the Palestinians,” blaming Netanyahu and top government officials for incitement. According to UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, 680,000 may be the real number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s genocidal war. Official figures record 65,000 “certainly killed” so far, of which 75 percent are women and children.

In a statement on X, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Fiji’s move as “an assault against the Palestinian people and a blatant violation of international law and legitimate international resolutions.” It reaffirmed that “all Israeli measures in Jerusalem are null and void and lack any legitimacy under international law,” and called on Fiji to reverse its decision.

The Fiji NGO Coalition on Human Rights (NGOCHR) said Rabuka was “callously ignoring the unfolding famine and mass starvation in Gaza that is being deliberately orchestrated by the state of Israel.” It condemned the government delegation for standing alongside Netanyahu, “who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes, including starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity.”

The NGOCHR also noted that Fiji had “defended the destruction, killings, and maiming of scores of thousands of innocent civilians” by Israel at hearings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ ruled in July 2024 that Israel’s 56-year-old domination over the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 was illegal.

Rabuka criticised the Fiji Times on September 20 for a headline that described him and Netanyahu as “the image of a wanted war criminal standing next to a coup perpetrator,” calling the characterisation “unbecoming.” The headline was a simple statement of fact: Rabuka led two military coups in 1987, establishing a regime which promoted racist discrimination against Fijians of Indian descent.

Rabuka doubled down over growing criticism, claiming the diplomatic post “advances Fiji’s interests” by enhancing cooperation, including in “security, agriculture, climate resilience, innovation, trade and people-to-people links.” The government issued a statement falsely claiming that establishing a mission in Jerusalem or engaging diplomatically with Israel “does not mean endorsing war or harm. It is an act of engagement intended to build bridges and promote dialogue.”

Seeking to “clarify” Fiji’s foreign policy, the statement further declared that Fiji has maintained longstanding diplomatic relations with Israel “while also supporting the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.” The government reaffirmed “its support for a peaceful two-state solution where both Israelis and Palestinians can live in dignity and security.”

This stands reality on its head. Fiji has repeatedly led half a dozen Pacific countries voting in the UN with Israel and the US against any resolutions, even non-binding, calling for a ceasefire or “humanitarian truce” in Gaza. Last week Fiji was one of 12 nations that abstained on a vote to stop the Israeli genocide and establish an independent Palestinian state, which was passed by 142-10 votes.

The Israeli regime constantly seeks to mobilise support from Pacific states that have lined up with both Washington and Tel Aviv. Israel has for many years sought to build diplomatic, economic and religious influence among Pacific nations as a means of obtaining votes in the United Nations.

Rabuka has also used his relations with Israel to curry favour with the Trump White House. In February Rabuka was invited to deliver a prayer at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington after publicly backing the US president because of his support for Israel. In June, Rabuka publicly defended Israel’s unprovoked and criminal military assault on Iran as an act of “survival.”

With its Jerusalem embassy, the Fiji government will further strengthen political and diplomatic relations with the murderous Israeli regime. In a meeting with the speaker of the Knesset (Parliament), Amir Ohana, Rabuka proposed reciprocal visits between members of the Knesset and the Fijian Parliament, purportedly to exchange “knowledge and democratic practices” by working closely together “strengthening peace and security, democracy, and development”—a totally absurd proposition.

Next month, Israel’s deputy minister of foreign affairs Sharren Haskel will lead a “goodwill visit” to the Southwest Pacific, to shore up support in the face of escalating international popular opposition to the Gaza genocide. Haskel said the trip will focus on Israel’s “great friends,” PNG and Fiji, and possibly include New Zealand in recognition of the NZ government’s “support” for Israel over the last two years.

The pro-Israeli stance of the Pacific grouping led by PNG and Fiji is likely to be boosted by the recent change in government in Samoa. Samoa’s incoming prime minister, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt has already declared fulsome support for Israel, saying that in the country’s constitution, Samoa is founded on the “God of Israel.” Leuatea was responding to a media question about his flaunting of Jewish emblems at the swearing in ceremony, including the shofar, flag and scarfs.