Herzog pays historic first presidential visit to Panama

Isaac Herzog on Wednesday became the first Israeli president to visit Panama, upon his arrival calling the Central American country “a true friend and partner.”

He is scheduled to also travel to neighboring Costa Rica as the Jewish state continues its strengthening of diplomatic relations with the region.

Herzog and his wife, Michal, received a red-carpet welcome on the Tocumen International Airport tarmac in Panama City, where they were warmly greeted by Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez. The Israeli leader toured the Miraflores Locks, one of the three locks that form part of the Panama Canal, with the minister, calling the canal “a beautiful example how to lead and enable freedom of navigation and maritime freedom as opposed to what we see in the Strait of Bab al-Mandab in the Red Sea or in the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf. This is the antithesis. This is the other example. We must all stand up firmly against any blockage of maritime capability and movement around the world.”

The Israeli national anthem “Hatikvah” was played as Herzog arrived at the Presidential Palace to meet with Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino. The two men later held a joint press conference, where Herzog called it a “tremendous honor” to become the first Israeli president to visit Panama, thanking his “dear friend,” President Mulino, for the “warm and gracious welcome to your beautiful country.”

The Israeli leader emphasized that “Iran’s terror regime and its proxies” have reached as far as Latin America, using the example of the 1994 Hezbollah terrorist attack against Panama’s Jewish community.

“I believe that this historic visit will open a new chapter in the friendship between Israel and Panama. A chapter built on deeper economic cooperation, stronger ties in so many fields, closer ties between people to people and a shared action for a safer and a better world,” said Herzog.

Mulino thanked Herzog “for this historic and important visit for our nations, and for his words about the Panama Canal, a symbol of connection and global free navigation.” He added that “we will continue to promote an agenda focused on innovation, development, and shared opportunities.”

Herzog and his team also participated in a bilateral meeting with their Panamanian counterparts focused on water management, innovation and technical assistance.

The president also met with Panama City’s first Jewish mayor, Mayer Mizrachi, who has been in office since 2024. “We will continue working on Water, Technology, and security projects. ... And hopefully that direct flight,” Mizrachi wrote on X accompanied with a video of the two men greeting.

The visit follows a previous meeting between Herzog and Mulino on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where they agreed to advance relations between their countries. Herzog also met with members of the local Jewish community on Wednesday.

“The Jewish community in Panama serves as a vital human bridge between Israel and Panama. This is a community with a historical story—maintaining proud and vibrant Jewish life, and uniquely blending traditions from the East and the West. We held moving encounters with the students from all the Jewish schools, the teaching staff and community members, alongside various leaders and rabbis who gathered and came from all streams of the local Jewish community,” Herzog wrote on X.

From Panama, Herzog will travel to Costa Rica to attend the inauguration of President-elect Laura Fernández Delgado, at the invitation of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves Robles.

While in Costa Rica, Herzog will meet with Fernández Delgado and other international leaders attending the ceremony and participate in a state dinner hosted by Chaves Robles. He is also scheduled to meet with representatives of the Jewish community. Costa Rica’s Jewish population, estimated at 2,500–5,000, is centered in San José, where it maintains communal institutions, including a synagogue, community center and kosher facilities.

Panama is home to Central America’s largest Jewish community, with an estimated 12,000–15,000 members, most of whom live in Panama City. Panama‘s ambassador to Israel, Ezra Cohen, a prominent businessman and former leader of the country’s Jewish community, presented his credentials to Herzog in January 2025. Cohen, who has been instrumental in coordinating the trip, was invited to accompany Herzog on his visit to Panama.

The American Jewish Committee hailed Herzog’s “landmark visit” to Panama and Costa Rica, noting both countries’ early support for Israel’s establishment, their vibrant Jewish communities and free-trade initiatives, and expressing hope that the trip, coming soon after the adoption of the Isaac Accords, will build renewed momentum and deeper cooperation in Israel–Latin America relations.