A Partial Shift Eastward: Israel’s Improving Ties with Asia in the Twenty-First Century

This chapter explores Israel’s growing interaction with various sub-regions of East Asia since the 1990s. By the onset of this period, Israel had relations with no more than seven states in this region, but within mere three years, their number rose to 18, and by the early 2020s, it rose further to 21. By the same token, companies and entrepreneurs, academic institutions and religious groups, tourists, and NGOs from Israel and Asian countries have shown mounting mutual interest and willingness to interact, thereby increasing the diversity and complexity of these relations. Yet, coupled with these ample new opportunities have come challenges. Asian countries have needed to adopt sophisticated policies that allowed them to get closer to Israel without violating their traditional support of the Palestinian cause. Israel had to learn to navigate in the rough seas of inter-Asian rivalries and relations with third parties. To explain these complexities, this chapter offers an analysis of the opportunities, dilemmas, learning processes, and policy adaptations that Israel faces in the region.