Taiwan and Israel are in talks about the potential construction of a medical center in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, adding that the government’s focus is on humanitarian assistance issues, rather than on fostering trade and investment relations with settlement communities.
The South China Morning Post on Sunday reported that Representative to Israel Abby Lee (李雅萍) pledged to contribute to building a medical center in Sha’ar Binyamin, an industrial zone north of Jerusalem.
The announcement came during her recent visit to the Binyamin Regional Council, which governs 48 settlement communities in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Photo: Huang Ching-hsuan, Taipei Times
International law experts cited by the Post said that Taiwan’s pledge might contravene an advisory opinion issued last year by the International Court of Justice, which urged all states to refrain from trade and investment activities that support the continuation of unlawful occupations.
The financial commitment might also affect Taiwan’s ability to garner international support, particularly from European nations sympathetic to Palestine, the experts added.
Lee told the Post that the donation amount is still under discussion.
Taiwan is committed to the principle of “health for all, disease has no borders,” a stance promoted by the WHO, she said, adding that the country remains dedicated to upholding this principle despite its absence from the WHO assembly.
The news triggered a backlash domestically, with Ma Ying-jeou Foundation chief executive officer Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) expressing concerns during a radio talk show, saying that such a financial pledge would be seen as tacit recognition of the legitimacy of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and rejected by the international community.
“Why would Israel need Taiwan’s help when Israel’s GDP per capita is US$54,000, while Taiwan’s GDP per capita is only US$34,000?” Hsiao said. “Our own people are struggling with a poor economic situation and rising inflation. The [President William] Lai [賴清德] administration claims it has no additional funds for a universal cash handout despite a tax surplus, yet it has money for Israel.”
He accused the government of not providing support to the people in Gaza, as other countries have done.
MOFA spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday that Taiwan’s focus is on humanitarian assistance and medical partnerships, rather than on investment, trade or other commercial activities prohibited by international organizations.
Issues related to the potential donation to the medical center in Israel are “still under discussion,” Hsiao Kuang-wei said.
The spokesman said that Israeli Legislator Ohad Tal, a member of the National Religious Party-Religious Zionism, which is part of Israel’s governing coalition, visited Taiwan in May.
During his visit, he learned about Taiwan’s active engagement in humanitarian assistance worldwide, including deploying medical missions to diplomatic allies and providing aid to Syrian and Palestinian refugees, he said.
Tal praised Taiwan’s achievements in public health and humanitarian assistance, recognizing the nation as an invaluable, high-quality partner in global public health initiatives, Hsiao Kuang-wei said.
Hygiene and medical partnerships have been a cornerstone of Taiwan-Israel relations since the signing of a bilateral health cooperation agreement in 2006, he said.
As a result, Tal invited Lee to visit the settlement community, hoping to provide care and humanitarian assistance to people lacking medical resources, he added.
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