Duterte, who sparked outrage over Holocaust remark, to visit Israel

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte becomes the country’s first leader to visit Israel next week, at a time when both nations are looking to boost cooperation with non-traditional allies.

Duterte has been casting his eyes on the Middle East as one area where relations can be expanded.

The historic three-day trip, which starts on Sunday, takes place 61 years after diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Israel were established, on Aug 7, 1957, and two years since Duterte sparked outrage for comparing his deadly drug war to the Holocaust.

In a speech months after he became president in 2016, the 73-year-old leader said he would be “happy to slaughter” three million addicts in the same way that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler killed six million Jews.

Duterte apologised for his statement after an outcry, and both countries have since moved forward, evidenced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s invitation to visit.

The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said the trip highlights “the enduring friendship between Filipinos and Israelis, which began when president Manuel Quezon opened the doors of the Philippines as a sanctuary to an estimated 1,300 Jewish refugees who were fleeing the Holocaust” from 1937 to 1941.

“What is important is we strengthen our bilateral relationship with all the countries in the world that want closer relations with us,” Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said.

“With Israel, whether you talk about IT, security or agriculture, we have a lot to gain with a closer relationship with them," he added.

The visit is also in line with Netanyahu’s outreach to less-traditional allies in South America, Asia and Eastern Europe to boost trade relations and build a coalition of support for Israel.

Israel, under Netanyahu, has embraced leaders with controversial human rights records such as Duterte, as long as they supported it politically.

The Philippines was one of only 35 countries that abstained during a vote in the UN General Assembly condemning the United States transfer of its embassy to Jerusalem.

Netanyahu was expected to convince the Philippines to also transfer its embassy to Jerusalem.

But political analyst Clarita Carlos warned such a move would be a mistake for the Philippines.

The president should tell Netanyahu that Jerusalem is designed under the UN partition agreement as an international city, she said. It is holy to the Muslims, it is holy to the Christians and it is holy to the Jews. It’s supposed to be like that.

Carlos added Duterte should also state during his meeting with Netanyahu that the Philippines supports the Palestinians’ cause.

Duterte was set to meet with President Rueven Rivlin, give a keynote address to a business forum, and witness the signing of several agreements, officials in Manilla said.

Dan Catarivas, director-general of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, said Israel is looking at the Philippines as an untapped market. — dpa