Hey everyone, welcome back to My Weird Prompts. I am Corn, and I am sitting here in our living room in Jerusalem with my brother, the man who probably knows the diplomatic status of every square inch of this city. It is February third, twenty twenty-six, and the view outside is classic Jerusalem winter, gray stone and a bit of a chill, but the conversation inside is going to be much warmer.
Herman Poppleberry, at your service. And Corn, you make it sound like I spend my nights reading the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations for fun. Although, to be fair, article twenty-seven on the freedom of communication for the mission is a surprisingly gripping read if you are into that sort of thing.
Do you not? I have seen your bedside table, Herman. It is all white papers and maps of the Green Line. But honestly, today’s topic is something that hits very close to home. Our housemate Daniel sent us this prompt after noticing some new flags flying around the city. He was asking about the smaller embassies that have been opening up here in Jerusalem lately. It is a trend that has really picked up steam over the last two or three years.
It really has. Daniel’s question is a great one. He noticed that while the big players like the United States have these massive, fortress-like compounds, there is a new wave of what I call boutique diplomacy happening in office towers and smaller buildings. He specifically mentioned Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Both of those nations opened their doors here in late twenty twenty-three, and since then, we have seen others like Paraguay and Sierra Leone making similar moves.
Right, and Daniel’s curiosity is about the day-to-day. It is easy to understand what the United States embassy does because it is this massive machine with hundreds of staff members, specialized departments for everything from agriculture to space cooperation, and a security detail that looks like a small army. But if you are a small island nation and you open an embassy in Jerusalem, what is the actual reality? Are you just sitting there in a quiet office in Malha waiting for the phone to ring, or is there a deeper strategy at play? If we were a fly on the wall, what would we actually see these diplomats doing at ten o'clock on a Tuesday morning?
It is a brilliant question because it touches on the reality of modern, lean diplomacy. Most people think of an embassy as this giant, slow-moving bureaucracy, but for a country like Fiji, the staff might only be a handful of people. We are talking about maybe an ambassador, a couple of diplomatic secretaries, and a few local staff members who handle the logistics. It is less like a government department and more like a high-stakes startup. They have to be agile, they have to wear multiple hats, and they have to justify their presence every single day to their home capitals thousands of miles away.
So, let us start with the basics. Does a country like Fiji even have enough citizens in Israel to justify a consular department? I mean, I do not think I have ever run into a Fijian expat at the grocery store.
That is actually the first misconception to bust. People think embassies exist primarily to help their own citizens travel or get passports. While that is a core function, for a small mission in a place like Jerusalem, the consular work is often the smallest part of the job. There are probably only a few hundred Fijians in Israel at any given time. However, a huge chunk of those people are not tourists or tech workers; they are peacekeepers. Fiji has a massive history with United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Oh, that is a great point. I forgot how much the Pacific nations contribute to global security. I remember seeing Fijian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula when I was traveling years ago.
Exactly. They have a significant presence in the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, or UNTSO, and the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai. So, a big part of the embassy’s day-to-day involves what we call military liaison work. The staff might spend their morning coordinating with the Israeli Ministry of Defense or the various United Nations bodies to ensure their soldiers have the logistical support they need, dealing with visa renewals for rotating troops, or even handling medical evacuations. It is high-pressure work that happens entirely behind the scenes.
So, if the consular stuff is handled, what is the real meat of the work? What keeps them busy from nine to five if they are not stamping passports?
It is all about economic and technical cooperation, but on a very specific, granular level. If I am the Fijian ambassador, I am not just a diplomat; I am a chief marketing officer and a business development lead. I am pitching my country to the Israeli government and the private sector. And you would be surprised how much overlap there is when you look at the challenges. Fiji is an archipelago of over three hundred islands. They deal with rising sea levels, the need for sustainable agriculture in tropical but salt-heavy environments, and a massive desire to digitize their government services. Israel, as we have discussed in so many episodes, is essentially a global laboratory for these exact things.
I see where you are going. So the embassy acts more like a matchmaker or a bridge for technology transfer?
Precisely. Let us look at a typical Tuesday. The staff might start the day meeting with representatives from an Israeli ag-tech company like Netafim or one of the newer startups specializing in vertical farming or salt-resistant crops. The embassy’s job is to vet these companies. They are not just looking for a product to buy; they are looking for a partnership that can be adapted to the South Pacific. They are asking, can this drip irrigation system work with the specific soil acidity of a ginger farm in Viti Levu? Can this solar-powered desalination unit survive a tropical cyclone? They are literally translating Israeli innovation into Pacific solutions.
You mentioned ginger farmers earlier. Is that just a random example, or is there a real connection there?
It is very real! Ginger is a massive export for Fiji, and they are constantly looking to increase their yield and quality to compete globally. So, you might have a tiny office in a Jerusalem high-rise where a diplomat is reading technical reports on soil sensors and then jumping on a Zoom call with the Ministry of Agriculture in Suva to see if they can set up a pilot program. It is very hands-on. They are trying to create a direct line between a laboratory in the Negev desert and a farm in the tropics.
That is fascinating. It makes the embassy sound much more like a trade mission. But let us talk about the elephant in the room. Moving an embassy to Jerusalem is a major political statement. When Fiji or Papua New Guinea does this, they are stepping into a very complex international spotlight. Does the embassy staff spend a lot of time dealing with the political fallout or the diplomatic theater we discussed in episode four hundred twenty-three?
They certainly have to be aware of it, but their approach is often different from the superpowers. For these nations, the decision to move to Jerusalem is often rooted in a mix of shared values, religious ties, and strategic interests. In many Pacific Island nations, there is a very deep-seated Christian connection to the Holy Land. The embassy staff often spends a significant amount of time coordinating what we call faith-based diplomacy. This involves managing pilgrimages, cultural exchanges, and visits from religious leaders that go far deeper than just standard tourism.
I remember seeing groups from the Pacific Islands at the Western Wall or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They bring a lot of energy, often wearing traditional shirts and singing. It is a very visible presence.
It is, and for the embassy, managing that flow of people is a form of soft power. It builds a human connection that makes the political relationship much more resilient. But there is also the multilateral aspect. In the United Nations, every vote counts the same, whether you are the United States or a small island nation. Israel highly values its friendships with the Pacific bloc—sometimes called the Pacific twelve—because those nations often vote based on their bilateral friendship and shared values rather than following a larger regional caucus that might be more critical of Israel.
So, part of the daily grind is probably just maintaining that relationship so that when a vote comes up in New York or Geneva, the lines of communication are already open and friendly. It is about being in the room.
Exactly. And that brings us to why they are in Jerusalem specifically. If you are in Tel Aviv, you are near the business center, which is great. But if you are a small embassy with only three or four people, you cannot afford to spend two hours a day sitting in traffic on Highway One. By being in Jerusalem, you are five minutes away from the Knesset, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For a small mission, proximity is everything. It allows them to be much more agile. They can have a coffee with a desk officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the morning and be back in their office to send a report to their capital by lunch.
That makes a lot of sense. It is about efficiency. If you are small, you have to be efficient. What about the cultural side? Daniel asked what they do to promote ties. Is it all soil sensors and United Nations votes?
Not at all. One of the most interesting tools in their kit is sports diplomacy. Think about rugby. Fiji is world-class in rugby sevens—they have the Olympic gold medals to prove it. Israel, on the other hand, has a small but very passionate rugby scene that has been growing lately. The Fijian embassy has been instrumental in organizing coaching clinics and bringing Fijian expertise to Israeli clubs. It sounds small, but it builds a brand. It makes the average Israeli aware of Fiji as a center of excellence, not just a dot on a map. It creates a point of pride and a shared language that has nothing to do with politics.
I love that. It is such a human way to connect. I am curious about the staff themselves, though. If you are a diplomat from Papua New Guinea and you get posted to Jerusalem, that is a massive change in environment. Papua New Guinea just opened their embassy here in September of twenty twenty-three, so they have been here for over two years now. What is their daily life like outside the office?
It is a huge shift. For the staff, a big part of the first year was just navigating the local bureaucracy. Getting the right permits, setting up the physical office, and understanding the nuances of Jerusalem’s neighborhoods. Many of these newer, smaller embassies are choosing office towers in areas like the Jerusalem Technology Park in Malha. It is a very modern, high-tech environment. It does not feel like the traditional, stuffy embassies you see in movies with the long tables and the secret service agents at the door. It feels more like a tech startup office. You walk in, and there is a small reception area, a conference room with a beautiful view of the Judean Hills, and maybe a few desks where people are working on laptops.
It is funny to think of an embassy as a startup, but for these nations, it really is. They are launching a new presence in a complicated market. And just like a startup, the staff has to wear many hats. The person who is the Deputy Chief of Mission might also be the cultural attache, the press officer, and the person who makes sure the coffee machine is working and the internet bill is paid.
It is a very unpretentious form of diplomacy. But do not let the small size fool you into thinking it is not important. These small nations are often the ones who can speak most clearly in international forums because they are not weighed down by the same massive geopolitical baggage as the superpowers. When the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape, came for the embassy opening, he talked about the shared history and the spiritual connection. That resonates deeply in a city like Jerusalem. It creates a level of mutual respect that you do not always see in larger diplomatic relationships.
Let us look at the second-order effects. If Fiji and Papua New Guinea are successful with their embassies in Jerusalem, what does that mean for the broader diplomatic landscape? Do you think we will see a domino effect?
We are already seeing the ripples. When one nation moves, it provides a blueprint for others. They share notes. The staff at the Fijian embassy will talk to their counterparts from Guatemala or Kosovo or Honduras, who have been here for a while. They will ask, how did you handle the logistics of the move? How has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs treated you? Is there a specific person at the municipality who helps with zoning? It is like a small, exclusive club where everyone is helping each other succeed.
And I imagine the Israeli government is very motivated to make that club feel welcome.
Oh, absolutely. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs goes out of its way to support these smaller missions. They know that a small country moving its embassy to Jerusalem is taking a significant political risk and often facing pressure from other nations or international bodies. So, there is a lot of high-level attention given to these small offices. You might actually get more face time with the Israeli Foreign Minister if you are the ambassador of a small country that just moved to Jerusalem than if you are a mid-level diplomat from a huge country that has stayed in Tel Aviv. You become a priority. That is a huge strategic advantage. It is the classic big fish in a small pond scenario.
So, to go back to Daniel’s fly on the wall, we are seeing a morning spent on ag-tech emails, a lunch meeting with a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official about a United Nations vote, an afternoon coordinating a visit from a group of church leaders, and maybe an evening at a cultural event or a rugby match. It sounds like a very full plate.
And we cannot forget the time zones. Modern diplomacy for small missions happens on WhatsApp and encrypted messaging apps. They are constantly in touch with their home capitals, which are often ten or twelve hours ahead or behind. When it is noon here in Jerusalem, it is late at night in Suva or Port Moresby. So the staff is often working split shifts. They might be in the office during the day for Israeli meetings and then on the phone at ten or eleven at night talking to their ministers back home. It is a demanding, twenty-four-seven job. It is definitely not just cocktail parties and Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
I am glad you brought that up. The stereotype of the lazy diplomat is so pervasive. But if you are one of only three people representing your entire country in a place as intense as Jerusalem, you probably do not have much downtime. You are under a microscope. Every statement you make, every event you attend, it is all noted by the local press and the international community.
Exactly. They have to be experts in everything. They have to understand the local politics, the religious sensitivities of the different quarters of the Old City, and the security situation. In episode two hundred seventy-four, we talked about the invisible architecture of protocol. For these small embassies, protocol is a lifesaver. It gives them a set of rules to follow so they do not accidentally offend anyone while they are trying to do their jobs. But they also have to be flexible enough to handle things that are not in the manual.
Let us talk about the economic impact for a second. We mentioned ag-tech, but what about the other way? Is there an interest in getting Israeli tourists to the Pacific?
Absolutely. Tourism is the backbone of the Fijian economy. One of the primary goals of the embassy is to make it easier for Israelis to visit. They work on visa-free agreements and promoting the islands as a premium destination for the post-army backpacker crowd. As we know, young Israelis go everywhere after their service, and if Fiji can tap into that market, it is a direct win for their economy. For Papua New Guinea, they have incredible natural resources and a growing interest in security technology. They look at Israel’s expertise in border security and internal safety as a model. So, there is a lot of trade in knowledge and services that does not necessarily show up in a simple list of imports and exports, but it is incredibly valuable.
It is about the exchange of expertise and the building of long-term human capital.
Exactly. And that is what a permanent embassy facilitates. You cannot do that with a three-day state visit once every five years. You need someone on the ground who can follow up, who can build relationships over months and years, and who can spot opportunities before they become obvious. It changes the city of Jerusalem itself, too. Having these diverse flags and these different perspectives in the heart of the city adds a new layer to its international character.
It really does. It challenges the old idea that Jerusalem is only a city of conflict. It becomes a city of cooperation, even if it is on a small, technical level. When you see a Fijian diplomat grabbing a coffee in a Jerusalem cafe, it is a reminder that the world is a lot more interconnected than we think. So, Herman, what is the biggest takeaway for Daniel?
The biggest one is that these embassies are not just symbolic placeholders. While the move itself is a powerful political symbol, the work they do is incredibly practical and results-oriented. They are there to solve problems, find business opportunities, and build personal bridges. And the second takeaway is that you do not need a huge staff to be effective. A small, dedicated team that knows exactly what their country needs can often be more effective than a massive bureaucracy. They are focused. If Fiji only wants three things from Israel—better ginger yields, more tourists, and a strong security partnership—they can spend one hundred percent of their time on those three things.
That is a great way to look at it. It is about focus and the power of the niche. Now, for the listeners who might be wondering how this affects them, what should they keep in mind?
I think the takeaway is to look at the second-order effects of these relationships. When a small nation like Fiji engages with Israeli technology, it is a proof of concept. If an Israeli irrigation system works in the South Pacific, it can work in other island nations or coastal areas around the world. These small bilateral ties are the building blocks of global progress. And for the people living in Jerusalem, it is a sign that the city’s international role is evolving into a hub for technical and economic results.
I have to say, I have a newfound respect for the staff in those office towers in Malha. It sounds like a lot of work and a lot of responsibility for a very small team. Well, Herman, I think we have given Daniel a pretty good look behind the curtain. Or at least, we have given that fly on the wall something to think about.
I hope so. It is a fascinating world. And if you are ever walking near the Jerusalem Technology Park, keep an eye out for those flags. There is a lot more going on behind those windows than you might think.
Definitely. And hey, if you have been enjoying our deep dives into the weird and wonderful world of diplomacy and everything else we cover here, we would really appreciate it if you could leave us a review on your podcast app. It really does help other people find the show.
We love seeing where our listeners are from. We have noticed a few listeners from the South Pacific lately, so if that is you, Bula! And to our listeners in Port Moresby, welcome to the show.
Nice touch, Herman. You can find all of our past episodes, including the ones we mentioned today about honorary consuls and diplomatic theater, at our website, myweirdprompts.com. We also have an RSS feed there if you want to subscribe.
And if you have a prompt for us, something that’s been on your mind while you’re walking around your own city, send it in through the contact form on the site. We love hearing from you.
We really do. Thanks again to Daniel for this one. It was great to explore our own backyard for a bit. This has been My Weird Prompts.
Always a pleasure. Until next time!
So, Herman, be honest. How many flags can you actually identify on sight in Jerusalem? I bet you have a favorite.
All of them, Corn. Even the ones that are slightly faded from the sun. But if I had to pick, the Fijian flag with that vibrant blue is hard to beat against the Jerusalem stone.
I should have known you had a favorite. Let us go get some coffee. I think there is a place near the new embassy that does a great flat white.
Lead the way. I wonder if they have Fijian sugar? Or maybe some Papua New Guinean coffee beans? They produce some of the best high-altitude coffee in the world, you know.
Don’t push it, Herman. We are just getting coffee.
Just checking. It is all part of the diplomatic research.
Alright, bye everyone!
Bye!
