President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to embark on a three-day official visit to Israel on Sept. 2 to 5, the first Filipino leader to set foot on the Holy land, Malacañang on Monday said.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the President has accepted the invitation of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the state of Israel.
Duterte will be the first Filipino leader to visit Israel since the Philippines formally established its diplomatic ties with the Jewish nation on Aug. 9, 1957.
The President’s trip to Israel would highlight the “enduring friendship” between Filipinos and Israelis, which began when the late President Manuel Quezon opened the Philippines as a sanctuary to around 1,300 Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust.
The Palace spokesperson said Duterte will discuss with Netanyahu the Philippines' intent to bolster cooperation with Israel in several fields, including counter-terrorism, and security and law enforcement.
In a press briefing, Roque said the President and Netanyahu will talk common concerns and ways of expanding cooperation in the areas of labor, tourism, trade, agriculture, counter-terrorism, security and law enforcement.
The President will also meet Israeli President euven Rivlin to discuss development cooperation and the close ties between the two countries, Roque said.
The Palace said Duterte would also meet with a group businessmen on the sidelines of the President’s meeting with the Israeli leaders.
He added that Duterte would also meet the members of the Filipino community in Israel.
Roque said several accords are expected to be signed between the Philippines and Israel.
The Philippines recently acquired Israeli-made arms such as Galil assault rifles and pistols for its 120,000-strong police force, which is at the frontline of Duterte's war against illegal drugs and other crimes.
The Palace official also assured the public that there will be no problem with regards to human rights activists who may try to prevent Duterte from visiting Israel.
Roque added that there will be no problem with Duterte if human rights activists succeed in persuading Netanyahu to cancel his invitation to the Philippine president.
“Good luck to them. If they can persuade the Prime Minister to call off the visit, of course, we will call it off. There's no problem with that," he said.
