Taiwan Wants to Deepen Ties With Israel, Foreign Minister Says

In July, 72 cross-party members of the Knesset backed a call to include Taiwan in key international organizations such as the World Health Organization.

Taiwan wants to deepen its ties with Israel because of its support for the island nation, the country’s foreign minister said on Nov. 12.

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung told reporters that Taiwan will be “friendly to countries that are friendly to us.”

As an example of Israel’s support, Lin referenced a declaration signed in July by 72 members of the Israeli Knesset, the country’s parliament, which called for Taiwan’s greater inclusion in international organizations.

Lin added that the Palestinian territories are “very bad to Taiwan” because they back the “One China” principle, which holds that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of it.

Lin also told journalists during a meeting organized by the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club that Taiwan prioritized humanitarian aid during the Israel–Hamas war, saying, “We provide a lot of humanitarian aid to both sides, including the Gaza Strip and Palestine.”

Israel’s Calls for Taiwan’s Inclusion

In July, 72 cross-party members of the Knesset—a majority of the Israeli parliament—backed a call to include Taiwan in key international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Boaz Toporovsky, the Knesset member responsible for Israel–Taiwan Inter-Parliamentary Relations, said in a July 24 post on X: “This is not just a symbolic gesture—it’s about values, morality, and global partnership.

“Taiwan contributes, collaborates, and leads in the fields of innovation, medicine, healthcare, and the environment—and it does so with responsibility and solidarity, even as it is excluded from major international bodies for purely political reasons.”

Toporovsky added that over the years, particularly since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack against Israel, Taiwan had shown itself not only to be a “vibrant democracy that shares our values,” but one that helps Israelis on the ground.

“The future belongs to democracies that work together—not to those that exclude,” Toporovsky said. “Taiwan is one of them!”

In September, Toporovsky met with Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te.

Toporovsky, following the meeting, called Taiwan “a true friend of Israel,” highlighting that the country had funded the establishment of a maritime resilience center in Palmachim, south of Tel Aviv, which the Knesset member said at the time had treated over 1,000 survivors of the Oct. 7 attacks and their families.

The Israeli lawmaker said in a Sept. 16 post on X, “At a time when many countries are abandoning Israel, it is our duty to remember who our true friends are and to stand by them, just as they stand by us.”

By Victoria Friedman

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