Duterte's trips to Israel, Jordan will mark 'historic milestones' — DFA
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:41 p.m.) —President Rodrigo Duterte's upcoming trips to Israel and Jordan are historic as it will the first time for a Philippine leader to visit the Middle Eastern countries.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said the visits will mark "historic milestone" as the Philippines is expected to benefit trade and strangthen relationships with both countries.
"Both visits will be a huge leap in the Philippines' bilateral partnerships with both countries after decades of diplomatic relations," Abella said in Malacañang press briefing on Thursday.
In Israel, Duterte is expected to sign agreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on areas of cooperation, including labor, science and investment.
The labor deal with Israel would include improvements in deployment procedures and elimination of excessive placement fees imposed on Filipino workers bound for Israel.
There are about 28,300 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Israel as of last year.
Visit to Jordan
Abella said Duterte's three-day visit to Jordan would be an opportunity to reciprocate the visit of the late King Hussein, who sat foot on the Philippines 42 years ago. The king's visit in 1976 marked the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between Jordan and the Philippines.
During the visit, the two countries will sign agreements on labor, defense, foreign affairs and trade. Abella said the labor agreement seeks to improve the working conditions of about 40,000 OFWs in Jordan.
The agreement on defense, meanwhile, is seen to upgrade the Philippines' security capabilities. The agreement on foreign affairs will enable the Philippines and Jordan to conduct political consultations while the agreement on trade is expected to boost the two-way trade between the two countries.
The two countries will also recognize the Standard of Training and Certification of Watchkeepers for Seafarers, Abella said.
Following Dutetre's trip to Jordan, the Philippines is also eyeing an upgrade of its defense capabilities, trade and investment and expansion of relations.
"Strengthening ties with these nations will promote economic growth, create new employment opportunity and enhance security," Abella said.
Abella gave no details of Duterte's forthcoming overseas trips but said that he will be visiting "significant spots" in the two countries.
Tensions between Israel, Jordan
Asked whether Duterte's visits to the two Middle Eastern countries would affect the Philippines' relations with other countries that do not recognize Israel, Abella said the country is aware of "certain sensitivities."
"We have multilateral relations and, as we pointed out, we're friends to all and enemies to none and this should not serve as any issue, any obstacle with our ongoing bilateral relationship with each of these nations," Abella said.
The relationship between Israel and Jordan have been strained due to claims on the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Israel was created after the United Nations adopted a resolution dividing Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947. The resolution also placed Jerusalem, an important religious site for Jews, Christians and Muslims, under international control and administered by the UN.
The UN resolution was opposed by Palestinians who viewed it as an attempt to drive them away from the area. Clashes between Israel and some Arab states resulted in the displacement of about 700,000 Palestinians. Israel also gained territory previously granted to Palestinan Arabs under the 1947 UN resolution.
The Philippines' vote broke the tie at the UN that led to the creation of the state of Israel. It was the only Asian nation to support the partition plan. The Philippine government also provided sanctuary to about 1,300 Jewish refugees who were fleeing the holocaust, the systematic murder of about six million Jews by Nazi Germany during the World War II.
Late last year, US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which was rejected by Jordan's King Abdullah II. Israel's Netanyahu also refuses to relinquish any part of Jerusalem.
In June, Netanyahu and Abdullah met, where the Jordan king told the Israel leader that the fate of Jerusalem must be determined in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
Israel also assured Jordan that it remains committed to the status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem, the Associated Press reported.
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