Fiji opened its embassy in Jerusalem, becoming the seventh country to do so, with leaders of Israel and the island nation sporting traditional Fijian garlands at the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar celebrated alongside Fijian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Sa’ar’s office said in a statement.

“A new embassy in Jerusalem, our eternal capital!” Sa’ar cheered in the statement.

The event was a rare diplomatic bright spot for Israel at a time when allies are issuing increasingly harsh criticism of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war and threatening sanctions. Fiji was one of a dozen countries to abstain from a United Nations vote that overwhelmingly endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state, and on Wednesday, Rabuka paid tribute to his country’s relationship with Israel.

“I’d like to acknowledge the special bond and the enduring friendship and relationship that has existed between Fiji and the State of Israel,” Rabuka said following the inauguration at a ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry’s office in the presence of Sa’ar.

Fiji is the seventh country to open an embassy in Jerusalem, joining the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay. Argentina has also announced plans to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem next year.

Rabuka, Sa’ar and Netanyahu posed for a photo, with Netanyahu and Rabuka sporting salusalu — traditional Fijian garlands.

Ahead of the ceremony, Netanyahu hosted Rabuka in his office, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. Rabuka, who is also the foreign minister, in turn invited Netanyahu to visit the South Pacific archipelago, the statement added.

Netanyahu thanked his Fijian counterpart “for his support and steadfast standing alongside Israel, and spoke with him about regional political and security issues,” the PMO said.

Most countries have their diplomatic seats in Tel Aviv due to the disputed status of Jerusalem. Israel claims the city as its eternal and undivided capital, while the Palestinian Authority seeks East Jerusalem as the capital of its future state. Most countries do not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem.

Rabuka came to power in late 2022 as the head of a three-party government that included the right-wing Christian Sodelpa party, one of whose leaders’ demands was that Fiji open an embassy in Jerusalem.

Fiji’s embassy move follows a decades-long campaign by the Jerusalem-based International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem, which preaches support for Israel at churches across the Southern Pacific.

Israel had an embassy in Fiji, but it was closed in the 1990s due to budget cuts at the time.

AFP contributed to this report.