Fijians at the arrivals area at the Nadi International Airport. Photo: Fiji Airports
Fiji has welcomed 243 passengers back on Pacific soil this morning after a successful repatriation flight from Tel Aviv, Israel.
The Fiji Airways flight arrived at midnight with almost 200 Fijian religious pilgrims, 8 Samoans and citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States on board.
Several international airlines suspended flight services to Tel Aviv due to the escalating war against Israel and Hamas left many citizens stranded in Israel.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka was at Nadi airport during a traditional welcoming ceremony this morning and said it was a relief that they had made it safely back home.
Fiji Airways flew into Tel Aviv for the first time a fortnight ago, carrying a large group of Christian pilgrims as Pacific Islands nation seeking to build closer ties with Israel after pledging to open an embassy next year.
Most travellers were delegates of the International Christian Embassy participating in Jerusalem's Feast of Tabernacles celebration, which brought some 3,000 Evangelical Christians to Israel to participate in the Sukkot holiday and the March of the Nations.
Fijians at the arrivals area at the Nadi International Airport. Photo: Fiji Airports
There were also Fijian government representatives who held high-level meetings in preparation for the country's opening of an embassy in Jerusalem.
No decision had been made on where to locate Fiji's mission in Israel.
Defence Minister Pio Tikoduadua told reporters in Suva: "It is still in the planning process in terms of where it will be and how long it will take to be established. Obviously with the situation now, there will be some concerns about how to do it safely."
Last month, Papua New Guinea opened an embassy in Jerusalem, becoming only the fifth country with a full diplomatic mission in a city whose status is one of the most sensitive issues in the Middle East.
The move was criticised by Palestine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates with the embassy opening seen as "an aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights" and "a blatant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions".
Fiji Airways flight returned from Israel on Thursday, 12 October 2023. Photo: Fiji Airports