Ezulwini – Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Senator Pholile Shakantu met with Israeli Ambassador Ilan Fluss at the ICC Ezulwini Palazzo on Wednesday, 6th May 2026, to discuss ways of strengthening the bilateral relationship between Eswatini and Israel, which dates back to 1968.
Ambassador Fluss, who is currently based in Pretoria, South Africa, visited the Kingdom specifically to explore new areas of cooperation between the two countries. Both sides are looking at expanding collaboration in health, agriculture and emerging technologies, with upcoming opportunities in trade, training and skills sharing also on the table.
Fluss is no ordinary diplomat. Born in Haifa, Israel, in December 1965, he served five years in the Israeli navy before earning a psychology degree from the University of Haifa and an MBA from the University of Derby. He joined the Israeli foreign service in 1994 and has since represented his country in Manila, The Hague, New York and Pretoria, among other postings. 
Between 2016 and 2018, he was deployed to Bahrain as part of a special operation, and from October 2021 to August 2025 he served as Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines. Back home, he served as Director for Policy Planning and External Relations and later as Deputy Head of MASHAV, Israel’s agency for international development cooperation, a role he held from 2009 to 2016. From 2018 to 2021, he was Deputy Head of the Economic Division at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Fluss currently serves as policy coordinator for Emerging and Disruptive Technologies within the Division of Strategic Affairs at the headquarters of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the role that brought him to Eswatini for these talks.
