Israel and Botswana have official relations though neither country maintains a formal consulate or embassy in the other. The two countries, nevertheless, have reached cooperate agreements at the government level and there is private sector activity between the two countries.
History
The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1972, broke them off due to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and re-established them in 1993 after Israel and the
PLO
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinian people in both the occupied Palestinian territories and the diaspora. ...
signed the
Oslo Accords
The Oslo Accords are a pair of interim agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995. They marked the st ...
.
In February 2012, Dan Shaham-Ben-Hayun presented his diplomatic credentials to Botswana as an official representative.
However, he is currently based in
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...
.
Economic and educational ties
Six Israeli companies are licensed to cut and polish diamonds in Botswana, employing over 1,000 Botswana citizens.
In December 2012, Israel and Botswana formalised an agreement to establish the
Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), with
Ben-Gurion University (BGU) leading the academic and research aspects of the institution. Despite delays caused by the
2008 financial crisis
The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
and challenges in curriculum development, the project gained momentum after Botswana’s education minister,
Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, visited Israel and was impressed by BGU’s expertise in desert studies. Under the agreement, BGU will provide academic content, and Israeli lecturers will contribute to training local staff, fostering knowledge exchange between the two nations. The initiative also involves Israeli support in constructing the university’s physical infrastructure, with plans for BIUST to grow gradually into a full-fledged university. The collaboration positions BGU as a global leader in desert research while addressing Botswana's need for a specialised science and technology institution.
In 2015, Richard Anthony Lyons was appointed as Israel's honorary consul in Botswana.
See also
*
Foreign relations of Botswana
*
Foreign relations of Israel
*
History of the Jews in Botswana
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Botswana-Israel relations
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
Bilateral relations of Israel