Israel formalizes ties with Bhutan, the nation seeking ‘gross national happiness’
Image by Wikimedia Commons
(JTA) — Israel and Bhutan, a small Buddhist majority Himalayan kingdom snuggled between India and China, have established full diplomatic ties.
Ron Malka, the Israeli ambassador to India, posted photos on Twitter Saturday of the signing ceremony.
Bhutan and Israel already have cordial, informal ties. Bhutan has over the last 20 years emerged from centuries of cultural and diplomatic isolation, although it has long accepted development assistance from other countries, including agricultural training from Israel since 1982.
The constitutional monarchy is famous for a national policy that eschews materialism and instead seeks “gross national happiness.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the announcement was “the additional fruit of the peace agreements,” although it’s not clear how ties with the remote Buddhist nation are related to the flurry of agreements Israel has signed in recent months with Sunni Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Join the conversation: Jodi Rudoren, the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief, interviews Rep. Max Rose live on Zoom about his plans to run for Mayor of New York. Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m. ET. Click here to register.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
