The visit is designed to foster closer political and economic relations and scientific cooperation, and to seek solutions to global and regional security crises.
The head of state feels that in the difficult situation faced by Israel and Palestine, only a solution in which the two can live side by side in sovereignty and security will ensure enduring peace. “The international community is actively looking for ways to bring us closer to such a solution,” he noted.
President Karis says the new reality in the Middle East must be shaped in accordance with the actual situation and international law. “The ceasefires achieved in Lebanon and Gaza are an important step, but they must be followed by a process that leads to lasting peace and stability throughout the region,” he urged.
During his visit, the Estonian head of state will be meeting with his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog and Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana. He will also be visiting the Yad Vashem Remembrance Centre to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust and lay a wreath on the grave of Theodor Herzl before planting an olive tree in the Grove of Nations in the Jerusalem Forest as a symbol of peace and friendship.
In Tel Aviv, President Karis will be attending an entrepreneurial event organised by Startup Nation Central that will focus on opportunities for cooperation in innovation and the digital economy and on relations between the Estonian and Israeli technology sectors and universities.
In Palestine, President Karis will be visiting Ramallah, where he will meet with the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Dr Mohammad Mustafa. He will also be laying a wreath at the memorial to Yasser Arafat. In Bethlehem, the head of state will be visiting the Church of the Nativity, which is one of the most sacred sites in Christianity, holding prominent religious and cultural significance.
On the last day of his visit, President Karis will be heading to southern Israel. There he will visit the Nahal Oz and Nir Oz kibbutzim near the border with Gaza, where many people lost their lives in the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 2023. These areas have been at the forefront of the tense security situation in the region, being of both strategic and political importance.
The Estonian head of state’s visit to Israel and Palestine is a follow-up to his Middle East meetings in Jordan and Egypt. With the region currently at the centre of geopolitical tensions, the visit comes at a time when international cooperation and dialogue are more important than ever.
