Relationship Between Ethiopia And Israel

Here is a deep, balanced, historically grounded overview of Ethiopia–Israel relations, covering religion and history, diplomacy, the Ethiopian Jewish community, military/security cooperation, agriculture and technology, the Red Sea, regional politics, and the relationship today.

🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 🇮🇱 Israel: A Deep History of Their Relationship

The relationship between Ethiopia and Israel is one of the more unusual and historically significant relationships between an African country and the State of Israel. It is not based on one issue alone. Rather, it has developed through ancient religious traditions, the Ethiopian Jewish community, diplomacy, security interests, agriculture, technology, trade, and the strategic importance of the Red Sea and Horn of Africa.
Today, the relationship is officially described by Israel as strategic and expanding into areas such as innovation, technology, agriculture, health and security. In February 2026, Israeli President Isaac Herzog made a state visit to Ethiopia and met President Taye Atske Selassie and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, emphasizing the continuing importance of the relationship.
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1. 🕊️ The ancient connection: Ethiopia, Israel and the Bible

The historical relationship is often traced much further back than the creation of modern Israel in 1948.
One of the most famous traditions concerns the Queen of Sheba.
According to the biblical account, the Queen of Sheba traveled to Jerusalem to meet King Solomon. Ethiopian tradition identifies this queen with Makeda, and the Ethiopian national tradition recorded in the Kebra Nagast connects her relationship with Solomon to the birth of Menelik I.
According to Ethiopian tradition, Menelik I was the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and became an ancestor of the Ethiopian royal dynasty.
However, an important distinction should be made:
The biblical story is historical and religiously important, but the specific Ethiopian tradition concerning Menelik I is a traditional account rather than something historians can independently establish as literal historical fact.
Nevertheless, this tradition has had enormous cultural importance.
It helped create an enduring Ethiopian perception of a special connection between Ethiopia, Jerusalem and ancient Israel.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry itself describes the relationship as having an ancient connection associated with the Queen of Sheba and Solomon.
Israeli Embassies

2. ✡️ Beta Israel: The human bridge between the two countries

Perhaps the most important human connection between Ethiopia and Israel is the Beta Israel, commonly known as Ethiopian Jews.
For centuries, Jewish communities lived in Ethiopia, particularly in the northern and northwestern parts of the country.
Their history, religious practices and relationship to the wider Jewish world have been the subject of extensive scholarship and debate. But in modern times, their existence became a major factor in relations between Ethiopia and Israel.
After Israel was established in 1948, the question of Ethiopian Jews gradually became increasingly important.
Israel considered the possibility of bringing Ethiopian Jews to Israel, while Ethiopian governments had their own political calculations concerning emigration.
This eventually led to several extraordinary operations.

3. ✈️ Operation Moses

During the severe Ethiopian famine and political crisis of the 1980s, thousands of Ethiopian Jews made their way toward Sudan.
Israel secretly organized an operation to bring many of them from Sudan to Israel.
This became known as Operation Moses.
It was a remarkable humanitarian and geopolitical operation because it involved:
• Ethiopia
• Sudan
• Israel
• the United States
• Ethiopian Jewish refugees
• international humanitarian networks.
The operation demonstrated that the Ethiopian Jewish question had become much more than a religious issue.
It had become an important component of Israeli foreign policy.

4. ✈️ Operation Solomon — one of the most extraordinary events

In May 1991, Ethiopia was undergoing a dramatic political transformation.
The government of Mengistu Haile Mariam was collapsing, and rebel forces were approaching Addis Ababa.
Israel feared that Ethiopian Jews could become trapped in the rapidly deteriorating situation.
Israel therefore organized Operation Solomon.
In an extraordinary airlift lasting roughly 36 hours, Israel transported 14,325 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

The operation became one of the most famous airlifts in Israeli history.
It is also an important reason why the Ethiopian community became such a visible part of Israeli society.
Today, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have Ethiopian Jewish ancestry, making the Ethiopian connection not merely a diplomatic relationship between two governments but also a relationship between peoples.

5. 🇪🇹🇮🇱 Modern diplomatic relations

The modern diplomatic relationship developed in stages.
1956
Ethiopia and Israel established consular relations.
1961
They established full diplomatic relations.
This was during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie.
Israel saw Ethiopia as strategically important because Ethiopia was:
a major African state,
geographically close to the Red Sea,
outside the Arab political system,
and strategically positioned near the Middle East.
Ethiopia also benefited from Israeli development and technical assistance.

6. 🌍 Why Israel considered Ethiopia strategically important

During the Cold War, geography mattered enormously.
Look at the map:
Israel → Red Sea → Eritrea/Djibouti → Ethiopia → Horn of Africa
The Red Sea connects the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal.
For Israel, maintaining access to the Red Sea was strategically important.
Israel therefore developed relationships with several non-Arab states around the region, including Ethiopia.
This was part of what Israeli historians describe as the “Peripheral Alliance” strategy.
The idea was relatively straightforward:
If Israel was surrounded by hostile or potentially hostile Arab states, it could strengthen relationships with non-Arab states on the periphery of the Middle East.
Ethiopia was particularly valuable because of its geographic position and political influence in Africa.
Israeli archival material confirms that strategic concerns involving the Red Sea were an important part of Israel’s relationship with Ethiopia during the 1950s and 1960s.

7. 🪖 Security and military cooperation

Security cooperation has been another major component. During the Cold War, Israel provided various forms of military and security assistance to Ethiopia.
The relationship became complicated after the Ethiopian Revolution of 1974.
The socialist Derg government moved closer to the Soviet Union.
Then, in 1973, Ethiopia broke diplomatic relations with Israel in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War and broader Arab-African diplomatic pressure. Full diplomatic relations were later restored in 1989.

But diplomatic relations and security relations were not always identical.
Even during periods of official diplomatic tension, security contacts reportedly continued in various forms.
This illustrates something important about international relations:
Countries can disagree politically while still cooperating strategically.

8. 🇪🇹 Ethiopia and Israel after 1989

Diplomatic relations were restored in 1989.
Israel reopened its embassy in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia subsequently opened its embassy in Israel in 1992.

From that point forward, relations gradually expanded beyond security and Ethiopian Jewish affairs.
The two countries increasingly focused on:
• agriculture
• irrigation
• water management
• health
• education
• investment
• trade
• technology
• tourism
• innovation.

9. 🌱 Agriculture: One of the most important areas

Agriculture is probably one of the most practical areas of cooperation.
Israel has developed significant expertise in:
• drip irrigation
• water-efficient agriculture
• greenhouse farming
• agricultural technology
• desert agriculture
• crop management
• water recycling.

Ethiopia, meanwhile, possesses:
• enormous agricultural potential,
• large areas of cultivable land,
• diverse climates,
• substantial water resources,
and a very large agricultural population.
This creates a natural area for cooperation.
In 2005, an Israeli-U.S. development project introduced Israeli agricultural and irrigation technologies and new avocado varieties to Ethiopian smallholder farmers.

Ethiopia has also formally ratified agreements for cooperation with Israel in agriculture.
Ministry of Justice –
The basic logic is:
Israel has technology and water-management experience.
Ethiopia has land, water, labor and agricultural potential.
If properly managed, cooperation can benefit both countries.

10. 💧 Water technology

Water is another important area.
Ethiopia has abundant water resources overall, but the challenge is often:
How do you store, transport and efficiently use water?
Israel’s experience with water scarcity makes its technology potentially valuable to Ethiopia.
Cooperation can involve:
irrigation systems
water conservation
agricultural water efficiency
wastewater treatment
water monitoring
drought-resistant agriculture.
This is especially important because Ethiopia’s economy remains heavily connected to agriculture.

11. 🏥 Health cooperation

Health is another area where cooperation has developed.
Israeli institutions have experience in:
• medical technology
• emergency medicine
• digital health
• medical training
• agricultural-health connections
• water and sanitation.
Recent Israeli statements about the bilateral relationship specifically identify health as one of the areas of cooperation.

12. 💻 Technology and innovation

The modern relationship is increasingly moving beyond traditional diplomacy.
Israel is globally known for its technology and startup ecosystem.
Ethiopia has a large young population and increasingly important ambitions in:
digital transformation
telecommunications
fintech
artificial intelligence
software development
digital government
innovation.
This creates opportunities for cooperation.
During President Herzog’s 2026 visit, Israel and Ethiopia discussed strengthening cooperation in innovation and trade, alongside broader bilateral relations.
בית הנשיא

13. 📈 Trade and investment

Economic relations have also developed.
Ethiopia exports or has exported products such as:
• coffee
• sesame
• spices
• oilseeds
• agricultural products
• hides and skins.

Israel, meanwhile, has opportunities to provide:
• agricultural technologies
• irrigation equipment
• medical technologies
• security technologies
• technological expertise
• investment.
The countries have also signed agreements related to investment protection and taxation. Israel’s Foreign Ministry records a reciprocal investment-promotion agreement from 2003 and a double-taxation agreement from 2004.

14. 🌊 The Red Sea and the Horn of Africa

This is one of the most strategically important aspects of the relationship.
Ethiopia is landlocked today, while Israel has a coastline on the Mediterranean and Red Sea through Eilat.
The Horn of Africa sits next to one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.
The Red Sea connects:
Europe ↔ Suez Canal ↔ Red Sea ↔ Gulf of Aden ↔ Indian Ocean
Therefore, instability around:
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Djibouti
• Somalia
• Yemen
• Sudan
can have consequences far beyond the region.
For Israel, stability in the Horn of Africa can therefore have security and economic importance.
For Ethiopia, relationships with countries that have influence in the Red Sea and Middle East can also be strategically valuable.

15. 🇪🇹 Ethiopia’s relationship with the Arab world

This is where the relationship becomes complicated.
Ethiopia is not simply an ally of Israel.
Ethiopia also has extensive relationships with:
• Arab countries
• Gulf states
• Egypt
• Sudan
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates
• other Middle Eastern partners.
Therefore, Ethiopia has historically needed to balance its relationship with Israel against its broader African and Arab diplomacy.
This was particularly important during the 1970s.
Ethiopia’s decision to break relations with Israel in 1973 was influenced by the broader African-Arab diplomatic environment surrounding the Arab-Israeli conflict.

So Ethiopian foreign policy cannot be understood simply as:
“Ethiopia supports Israel.”
It is more accurate to say:
Ethiopia has pursued its own national interests while maintaining a significant relationship with Israel.

16. 🇵🇸 The Palestinian question

Another important dimension is Ethiopia’s position regarding Palestine.
Ethiopia has historically maintained relations with both:
Israel 🇮🇱 and Palestinians 🇵🇸
This reflects Ethiopia’s broader foreign-policy tradition of engaging multiple sides.
The Palestinian question can therefore create diplomatic sensitivity in Ethiopia–Israel relations.
Ethiopia must consider:
its African Union role,
relations with Arab and Muslim countries,
international law,
its relations with Israel,
and its own national interests.
Therefore, supporting diplomatic relations with Israel does not automatically mean Ethiopia agrees with every Israeli government policy.
This distinction is extremely important.

17. 🕍 Religion and the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition

Religion also contributes to the relationship, although it should not be exaggerated.
Ethiopia has an ancient Christian tradition with strong biblical connections.
Jerusalem occupies an important place in Ethiopian Christianity.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has a long historical presence in Jerusalem, including the Ethiopian monastery and community.
This creates another cultural connection between Ethiopia and the Holy Land.
However, religious connections should be distinguished from government policy.
A country’s foreign policy is influenced by:
national security
economic interests
diplomacy
geography
domestic politics
historical identity.
Religion is only one component.

18. 👥 Ethiopian Israelis

Perhaps the most fascinating part of the relationship today is the Ethiopian-Israeli community.
People of Ethiopian Jewish origin have become part of Israeli society in virtually every sector:
• politics
• military
• education
• business
• medicine
• technology
• culture
• public service.
There have also been challenges, including discrimination, socioeconomic inequality and debates about integration.
Therefore, the relationship between Ethiopia and Israel is not only about governments.
There is now a large human bridge between the two societies.

19. 🇮🇱 Israel’s interest in Ethiopia

From Israel’s perspective, Ethiopia offers several important advantages:
Strategic
Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most important countries.
Geographic
It is close to the Red Sea and Horn of Africa.
Diplomatic
Ethiopia is influential in African diplomacy and hosts the African Union.
Economic
Ethiopia has a large population and significant development potential.
Agricultural
Ethiopia has enormous agricultural potential.
Historical
The Ethiopian Jewish community creates a unique connection.
Regional
Ethiopia is an important actor in the politics of the Horn of Africa.

20. 🇪🇹 Ethiopia’s interest in Israel

From Ethiopia’s perspective, Israel can provide:
Technology
Particularly agricultural and water technology.
Security cooperation
Training, technology and intelligence capabilities.
Investment
Potential investment and business partnerships.
Health expertise
Medical technology and training.
Agricultural development
Irrigation and productivity technologies.
Diplomatic connections
A stronger relationship with an influential Middle Eastern state.

21. 🤝 The relationship under Abiy Ahmed

During the Abiy Ahmed era, Ethiopia–Israel relations have remained important.
Prime Minister Abiy visited Israel in 2019 and met Israeli leaders.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry records several high-level visits during the previous decade, including visits by Ethiopian and Israeli leaders.

The relationship has continued into 2026.
In February 2026, President Isaac Herzog visited Addis Ababa and met both President Taye Atske Selassie and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The discussions included:
• bilateral relations
• innovation
• trade
• regional issues
• agriculture
• health
• security.

That visit demonstrates that the relationship remains diplomatically significant.

22. 🔥 Why the relationship is sometimes controversial

The relationship can generate controversy for several reasons.
Some Ethiopians view Israel positively because of:
the Ethiopian Jewish connection,
• agricultural technology,
• development assistance,
• security cooperation,
• biblical connections.

Others criticize aspects of the relationship because of:
Palestinian rights,
Israeli military policies,
concerns about foreign influence,
security cooperation,
geopolitical competition in the Horn of Africa.
Therefore, Ethiopian public opinion should not be treated as one unified position.
There are different Ethiopian perspectives.

23. 🧭 The most important lesson

The deepest way to understand Ethiopia–Israel relations is not simply:
“Ethiopia and Israel are friends.”
Nor is it:
“Ethiopia supports Israel.”
The reality is much more sophisticated.
The relationship has been shaped by five major forces:
1. Ancient identity
The Queen of Sheba, Solomon, Jerusalem and Ethiopian religious traditions.
2. People
The Beta Israel/Ethiopian Jewish community created a permanent human connection.
3. Geography
The Red Sea and Horn of Africa give Ethiopia enormous strategic importance.
4. Mutual interests
Agriculture, water, technology, health, security and trade provide practical reasons for cooperation.
5. International politics
Arab-Israeli conflicts, the Palestinian question, African diplomacy, the Cold War and regional competition have repeatedly influenced the relationship.

🇪🇹🇮🇱 Conclusion

Ethiopia and Israel have one of the most historically layered relationships in Africa.
It began, in cultural memory, with the ancient story of Sheba and Solomon. It developed into modern diplomatic relations in the twentieth century, was shaped by the Cold War and Red Sea geopolitics, was transformed by the extraordinary rescue and migration of Ethiopian Jews, and has increasingly evolved into practical cooperation in agriculture, water, health, technology, trade and security.
The relationship has also experienced interruptions and political tensions. Ethiopia broke diplomatic relations with Israel in 1973, and full diplomatic relations were restored in 1989.
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But the relationship survived these changes because it is supported by multiple layers of mutual interest.
And as of 2026, the relationship remains active and significant, with both governments publicly emphasizing deeper cooperation in innovation, trade, agriculture, health and security.

In one sentence:

🇪🇹🇮🇱 The Ethiopia–Israel relationship is a combination of ancient tradition, shared human history, strategic geography, national interests and modern technological cooperation—not simply a religious or political alliance.