Relationship dossier
Israel
Nigeria
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation coexists with Nigeria’s support for Palestinian statehood
Israel toward Nigeria
+25Israel has engaged Nigeria in security and technical cooperation, including assistance related to Nigerian security needs. The breadth and implementation of these efforts are unclear.
Nigeria toward Israel
+5Nigeria restored diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992 and has maintained government engagement, while supporting Palestinian statehood in international forums. That position has been a source of political disagreement with Israel.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship has a durable basis in restored diplomatic ties and practical cooperation, including security and technical engagement. Nigeria’s support for Palestinian statehood is a recurring political counterweight. The overall relationship is therefore cooperative in practical areas but not a close or unambiguously aligned partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Israel and Nigeria have maintained diplomatic relations since restoring them in 1992, with cooperation that has included security and technical matters. Nigeria has also supported Palestinian statehood in international forums, creating a significant political difference with Israel. The relationship combines practical cooperation with disagreement over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Areas of tension
- Nigeria’s support for Palestinian statehood and positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Key developments
Nigeria severed diplomatic relations with Israel during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
Nigeria and Israel restored diplomatic relations.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan visited Israel, amid efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral security and technical cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of recent government-to-government cooperation is uncertain.