COLOMBO: The political attaché and first secretary of the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi, Ms Hadas Bakst, visited Sri Lanka in the first week of December 2025 to observe the situation in Sri Lanka and also the Israeli aid programme in Sri Lanka in response to the Ditwah cyclone impact that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The Israeli Embassy in New Delhi, headed by His Excellency Reuven Azar, is the second most important foreign mission of Israel.
Local media reported that Bakst met several government officials, civil societies and aid initiators, including current DMC Director General Major General Sampath Kotuwegoda (a former army officer who actively served during Sri Lanka’s wartime). The reason behind sending a political attaché to observe the aid programme was not by accident. According to our sources, Bakst had previously worked for MASHAV, the Israeli Agency for International Development Cooperation, which made her the ideal candidate to oversee the MASHAV-backed aid programme in Sri Lanka at this time. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the MASHAV agency heavily backed the aid programme. Honorary Consul of Israel for Sri Lanka Mr Dinesh Rodrigo and his team coordinated the aid programme with the supervision of the Israeli embassy in New Delhi.
But, we captured an interesting meeting held in Colombo via a local news outlet. Bakst had met Akmeemana Dayarathana Thero – leader of Sinhala Ravaya, a nationalistic organisation. A common political belief is that despite the rollercoaster diplomatic ties between Israel and Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka’s nationalistic movements, along with the majority of the general public, always have been aligned with Israel.
It can be an example to show that an official foreign policy doesn’t necessarily align with its people’s interest. Israel has nearly 30,000 highly paid Sri Lankan diaspora, and Sri Lanka is a popular destination for Israeli tourists. So, two people continue to thrive together despite the geopolitical plays.
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