Relationship dossier
Israel
Romania
Relationship assessment
A cooperative partnership with defense and economic ties, alongside some differences over Israeli-Palestinian issues.
Israel toward Romania
+35Israel has maintained a strategic partnership with Romania and pursued bilateral cooperation in areas including defense and economic relations.
Romania toward Israel
+35Romania has maintained high-level engagement with Israel; Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu visited in October 2023. Romania abstained on the UN General Assembly ceasefire resolution of 27 October 2023, rather than voting for it.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship rests on sustained bilateral engagement, a strategic partnership, and cooperation in defense and economic matters. Romania’s 2023 abstention on a UN ceasefire resolution illustrates that its positions on Israeli-Palestinian issues can differ from Israel’s, without displacing the broader cooperative relationship.
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 Romania maintain a cooperative relationship supported by a 2010 strategic partnership and collaboration in areas including defense and economic ties. Romania has continued high-level engagement with Israel, including a visit by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in October 2023. Romania’s positions on Israeli-Palestinian issues have not always aligned fully with Israeli preferences, including its abstention on a 2023 UN ceasefire resolution.
Areas of tension
- Differences in policy positions concerning Israeli-Palestinian issues, including Romania’s abstention on the October 2023 UN ceasefire resolution.
Key developments
Israel and Romania established a strategic partnership.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu visited Israel.
Romania abstained on the UN General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral defense and economic cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of alignment between the two governments on Israeli-Palestinian issues varies by issue and over time.