 |   |
  | "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine strongly condemns the Republic of Fiji’s move to officially open an embassy in occupied Jerusalem as an act of aggression against the Palestinian people, a flagrant violation of international law and relevant resolutions of international legitimacy, and a direct threat to prospects for implementing the two-state solution." |
Rabuka Betrays Fiji’s Peacekeeping Legacy in Jerusalem Stunt
Sitiveni Rabuka’s decision to open an embassy in disputed Jerusalem, with Defence Minister Pio Tikoduadua at his side and RFMF Commander Jone Kalouniwai literally holding the stage prop, is one of the most reckless diplomatic blunders in Fiji’s modern history.
For half a century, Fijian soldiers have been trusted as peacekeepers in Lebanon, Sinai, Syria and Iraq because they carried no political baggage. That hard-won reputation was destroyed in a single photo-op. By parading his military commander in occupied Jerusalem, Rabuka has shown the world that Fiji is no longer a neutral state.
The timing could not be worse. The international community, led by Saudi Arabia and France, is preparing a UN-mandated international peace force to stabilise Gaza under a two-state solution framework. But how can Fiji’s soldiers be part of that force when their commander has been reduced to a stage prop in Rabuka’s performance for Israel? Palestinians and UN member states will see Fiji as compromised, biased, and unfit to serve, and rightly so.
Why would Palestinians, or indeed many UN member states, accept troops from a country whose leadership has so publicly embraced Israel’s contested claim to Jerusalem?
What was Kalouniwai thinking? Was he blindly following Rabuka out of misplaced loyalty, or did he genuinely believe that parading Fiji’s defence establishment in Jerusalem would not jeopardise the hard-earned trust of UN partners?
Either way, the consequences are severe. Fiji’s soldiers, who have built their reputation on sacrifice and neutrality, may now find themselves sidelined from the most significant UN peacekeeping operation of a generation.
His silence and compliance betray the Fijian soldiers who have shed blood under the UN flag.
Rabuka calls the opening of Jerusalem embassy diplomacy. It is nothing more than vanity and political opportunism. He has gambled away Fiji’s greatest international asset - the credibility of its peacekeepers - for a headline in Jerusalem.
The world will not forget that image: Rabuka grandstanding, Tikoduadua nodding, and Kalouniwai, the commander of Fiji’s army, reduced to holding the stage prop of a foreign cause.
Fiji’s peacekeepers will pay the price.
But Christian fundamentalism in Fiji has no place in the language of diplomacy when it comes to Sitiveni Rabuka and his army of misguided ethno-nationalists.
Sitiveni Rabuka’s decision to open an embassy in disputed Jerusalem, with Defence Minister Pio Tikoduadua at his side and RFMF Commander Jone Kalouniwai literally holding the stage prop, is one of the most reckless diplomatic blunders in Fiji’s modern history.
For half a century, Fijian soldiers have been trusted as peacekeepers in Lebanon, Sinai, Syria and Iraq because they carried no political baggage. That hard-won reputation was destroyed in a single photo-op. By parading his military commander in occupied Jerusalem, Rabuka has shown the world that Fiji is no longer a neutral state.
The timing could not be worse. The international community, led by Saudi Arabia and France, is preparing a UN-mandated international peace force to stabilise Gaza under a two-state solution framework. But how can Fiji’s soldiers be part of that force when their commander has been reduced to a stage prop in Rabuka’s performance for Israel? Palestinians and UN member states will see Fiji as compromised, biased, and unfit to serve, and rightly so.
Why would Palestinians, or indeed many UN member states, accept troops from a country whose leadership has so publicly embraced Israel’s contested claim to Jerusalem?
What was Kalouniwai thinking? Was he blindly following Rabuka out of misplaced loyalty, or did he genuinely believe that parading Fiji’s defence establishment in Jerusalem would not jeopardise the hard-earned trust of UN partners?
Either way, the consequences are severe. Fiji’s soldiers, who have built their reputation on sacrifice and neutrality, may now find themselves sidelined from the most significant UN peacekeeping operation of a generation.
His silence and compliance betray the Fijian soldiers who have shed blood under the UN flag.
Rabuka calls the opening of Jerusalem embassy diplomacy. It is nothing more than vanity and political opportunism. He has gambled away Fiji’s greatest international asset - the credibility of its peacekeepers - for a headline in Jerusalem.
The world will not forget that image: Rabuka grandstanding, Tikoduadua nodding, and Kalouniwai, the commander of Fiji’s army, reduced to holding the stage prop of a foreign cause.
Fiji’s peacekeepers will pay the price.
But Christian fundamentalism in Fiji has no place in the language of diplomacy when it comes to Sitiveni Rabuka and his army of misguided ethno-nationalists.
*Australia has finally done it. Prime Minister Albanese and Foreign Minister Wong have declared that Canberra now formally recognises the State of Palestine. A courageous move that will earn applause from some, outrage from others, and head-scratching from those of us who’ve watched Australia fence-sit for decades like a possum clinging to a power line. |   |
Australia recognises the State of Palestine
21 September 2025: Effective today, Sunday the 21st of September 2025, the Commonwealth of Australia formally recognises the independent and sovereign State of Palestine.
In doing so, Australia recognises the legitimate and long held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own.
Australia's recognition of Palestine today, alongside Canada and the United Kingdom, is part of a co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution, starting with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken in the atrocities of October 7, 2023.
Today's act of recognition reflects Australia's longstanding commitment to a two-state solution, which has always been the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples.
The international community has set out clear requirements for the Palestinian Authority.
The President of the Palestinian Authority has restated its recognition of Israel's right to exist, and given direct undertakings to Australia, including commitments to hold democratic elections and enact significant reform to finance, governance and education.
The terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine.
Further steps, including the establishment of diplomatic relations and opening of embassies, will be considered as the Palestinian Authority makes progress on its commitments to reform.
Already, crucial work is underway across the international community to develop a credible peace plan that enables the reconstruction of Gaza, builds the capacity of the state of Palestine and guarantees the security of Israel.
The leadership of the countries of the Arab League and the United States is vital to this task.
Australia will continue to work with our international partners to help build on today's act of recognition and to bring the Middle East closer to the lasting peace and security that is the hope, and the right, of all humanity.
- Joint media release:
21 September 2025: Effective today, Sunday the 21st of September 2025, the Commonwealth of Australia formally recognises the independent and sovereign State of Palestine.
In doing so, Australia recognises the legitimate and long held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own.
Australia's recognition of Palestine today, alongside Canada and the United Kingdom, is part of a co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution, starting with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken in the atrocities of October 7, 2023.
Today's act of recognition reflects Australia's longstanding commitment to a two-state solution, which has always been the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples.
The international community has set out clear requirements for the Palestinian Authority.
The President of the Palestinian Authority has restated its recognition of Israel's right to exist, and given direct undertakings to Australia, including commitments to hold democratic elections and enact significant reform to finance, governance and education.
The terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine.
Further steps, including the establishment of diplomatic relations and opening of embassies, will be considered as the Palestinian Authority makes progress on its commitments to reform.
Already, crucial work is underway across the international community to develop a credible peace plan that enables the reconstruction of Gaza, builds the capacity of the state of Palestine and guarantees the security of Israel.
The leadership of the countries of the Arab League and the United States is vital to this task.
Australia will continue to work with our international partners to help build on today's act of recognition and to bring the Middle East closer to the lasting peace and security that is the hope, and the right, of all humanity.
“I had decided way back in the 1990s when I was Prime Minister, that we would set up an Embassy in Jerusalem." He said following the 1987 coup, when other countries distanced themselves from Fiji, Israel was the one that stepped forward to offer support. “When everybody else had taken away from us, had gone away, our normal defence partners moved away from Fiji after the coup in 1987 – Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America, they all turned away, so, they (Israel) backed Fiji. Fiji had to survive. Fiji had to continue to man our peacekeeping battalions and equipment, and Israel was one of those that stepped forward. They even gave us some double class patrol boats and some machine guns and weapons to continue our obligation to international peacekeeping.” The Fiji Times.
Maybe It’s Time Australia Stopped Throwing $Millions at Fiji.
And Let Israel Fill the Sinkhole. Aussie money for starving Palestinian children and NOT FAT CAT Coalition Ministers!
Fiji: The Sinkhole Funded by Fear of China
Australia’s annual Fiji hand-out has long been dressed up as “regional cooperation,” “development aid,” and “friendship.” In truth, it’s nothing more than China insurance money.
Canberra doesn’t actually believe its millions is transforming Fiji. It just fears that if it cuts off the drip, Suva will pivot even harder to Beijing, and the People’s Liberation Army will be serving dim sims at Suva harbour.
So every year, Canberra dutifully cuts a cheque, not enough to matter, but just enough to soothe its paranoia.
Spoiler: the dragon is already in the house. Australia’s millions has bought neither loyalty nor love, only the illusion of influence.
Australia’s Deep Pocket: Vuvale Partnership Shows the Real Money
And let’s be clear. It isn’t just pocket change. Under the Vuvale Partnership, Australia is pumping in a staggering US$450 million in budget support to Fiji.
The money is everywhere:
In other words, Fiji’s survival is not just about millions of dollars. Canberra is writing fat cheques for hospitals, climate resilience, disaster relief, and reforms. Which makes Rabuka’s constant chest-thumping about “sovereignty” and his open nostalgia for Israel’s help after 1987 even more bizarre.
Rabuka’s Admission: Israel Stepped Forward After the Coups
Because here’s the remarkable part: when Australia, New Zealand, and the US turned their backs on him after the 1987 coups, it was Israel that stepped forward.
According to Rabuka himself, Israel supplied patrol boats, arms, and equipment to help Fiji maintain its peacekeeping missions, even while at home Indo-Fijians were disenfranchised.
And here’s the clincher: Rabuka insists that opening an embassy in Jerusalem wasn’t some new whim, but a decision taken in the 1990s, grounded in gratitude for Israel’s post-coup support.
So if Rabuka says Israel was there when nobody else was, why is Australia still footing the bill, to the tune of hundreds of millions?
The Dark Parallel: Indo-Fijians and Palestinians
This is where it gets deeply uncomfortable.
In both cases, the political project rested on exclusion: one community is rightful owners, the other illegitimate squatters.
And in both cases, Israel aligned itself with the majoritarian project:
Did Israel see Indo-Fijians the way it sees Palestinians: as “unwanted outsiders”? Perhaps not in words. But in deeds, by backing Rabuka, Israel stood on the side of ethnic supremacy.
Palestine: Where Australia's Millions could Mean Something
If Canberra now recognises Palestine, recognition should mean more than symbolism. Redirecting even a modest portion of Fiji’s annual allowance could:
Fiji Won’t Miss It
Would Fiji even notice? Probably not. Our leaders are too busy:
Yes, Suva will cry betrayal and wave the China card. But if Rabuka himself boasts about Israel’s role in propping him up after 1987, then maybe it’s time for Israel, not Australia, to refill the sinkhole.
Time to Re-Write the Cheque
Australia has finally recognised Palestine. That’s a stand. But boldness needs follow-through. Instead of timidly tossing millions at Fiji out of fear of China, or writing hundreds of millions under Vuvale while being treated like the side-dish in Suva’s foreign policy banquet, Canberra should:
And Rabuka? Well, he’s already told us who his true friends were.
Australia’s annual Fiji hand-out has long been dressed up as “regional cooperation,” “development aid,” and “friendship.” In truth, it’s nothing more than China insurance money.
Canberra doesn’t actually believe its millions is transforming Fiji. It just fears that if it cuts off the drip, Suva will pivot even harder to Beijing, and the People’s Liberation Army will be serving dim sims at Suva harbour.
So every year, Canberra dutifully cuts a cheque, not enough to matter, but just enough to soothe its paranoia.
Spoiler: the dragon is already in the house. Australia’s millions has bought neither loyalty nor love, only the illusion of influence.
Australia’s Deep Pocket: Vuvale Partnership Shows the Real Money
And let’s be clear. It isn’t just pocket change. Under the Vuvale Partnership, Australia is pumping in a staggering US$450 million in budget support to Fiji.
The money is everywhere:
- US$15 million for rehabilitating CWM Hospital,
- US$9 million for rural electrification,
- US$56 million in grants for cyclone disaster recovery,
- US$87 million for policy reforms, and more.
In other words, Fiji’s survival is not just about millions of dollars. Canberra is writing fat cheques for hospitals, climate resilience, disaster relief, and reforms. Which makes Rabuka’s constant chest-thumping about “sovereignty” and his open nostalgia for Israel’s help after 1987 even more bizarre.
Rabuka’s Admission: Israel Stepped Forward After the Coups
Because here’s the remarkable part: when Australia, New Zealand, and the US turned their backs on him after the 1987 coups, it was Israel that stepped forward.
According to Rabuka himself, Israel supplied patrol boats, arms, and equipment to help Fiji maintain its peacekeeping missions, even while at home Indo-Fijians were disenfranchised.
And here’s the clincher: Rabuka insists that opening an embassy in Jerusalem wasn’t some new whim, but a decision taken in the 1990s, grounded in gratitude for Israel’s post-coup support.
So if Rabuka says Israel was there when nobody else was, why is Australia still footing the bill, to the tune of hundreds of millions?
The Dark Parallel: Indo-Fijians and Palestinians
This is where it gets deeply uncomfortable.
- In 1987, Rabuka’s coup disenfranchised the Indo-Fijians. Half the country’s population suddenly became political outsiders, branded as intruders on land that “belonged” to the iTaukei.
- Today, Palestinians are treated by the Israeli state as demographic interlopers in the “Land of God’s chosen people.”
In both cases, the political project rested on exclusion: one community is rightful owners, the other illegitimate squatters.
And in both cases, Israel aligned itself with the majoritarian project:
- In the Middle East, by entrenching Palestinian displacement.
- In Fiji, by arming Rabuka’s government after it had written Indo-Fijians out of equal citizenship.
Did Israel see Indo-Fijians the way it sees Palestinians: as “unwanted outsiders”? Perhaps not in words. But in deeds, by backing Rabuka, Israel stood on the side of ethnic supremacy.
Palestine: Where Australia's Millions could Mean Something
If Canberra now recognises Palestine, recognition should mean more than symbolism. Redirecting even a modest portion of Fiji’s annual allowance could:
- Buy medical supplies for Gaza’s bombed-out clinics,
- Fund schools and scholarships for Palestinian children who actually want a future,
- Signal that Australia’s new moral stance is not just words.
Fiji Won’t Miss It
Would Fiji even notice? Probably not. Our leaders are too busy:
- Registering law firms overnight before disciplinary bans abroad expire,
- Failing to declare villas, shareholdings, and offshore perks while swearing innocence,
- Running “anti-corruption” agencies that recommend interviewing dead lawyers.
Yes, Suva will cry betrayal and wave the China card. But if Rabuka himself boasts about Israel’s role in propping him up after 1987, then maybe it’s time for Israel, not Australia, to refill the sinkhole.
Time to Re-Write the Cheque
Australia has finally recognised Palestine. That’s a stand. But boldness needs follow-through. Instead of timidly tossing millions at Fiji out of fear of China, or writing hundreds of millions under Vuvale while being treated like the side-dish in Suva’s foreign policy banquet, Canberra should:
- Cut or condition Fiji’s cheques,
- Send more of that money to Palestine,
- Let Israel, which Rabuka openly credits with saving him post-coup, fill Fiji’s sinkhole.
And Rabuka? Well, he’s already told us who his true friends were.
  |  |
  Overlooking Jerusalem | Putting UN Fijian Troops in Harms Way? |
The Palestinians are also watching Rabuka's stunt in Jerusalem
From Fijileaks Archive, 9 September 2025
