Herzog's Secret Diplomatic Blitz: Why Israel's President Just Rushed to Central America

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is touching down in Panama and Costa Rica for a four-day diplomatic mission that signals something unmissable: Jerusalem is in damage-control mode on the world stage.

The timing screams desperation. While Benjamin Netanyahu faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes, and Israel’s Gaza war continues drawing global condemnation, Herzog is flying directly into two countries that sit on the UN Security Council. This isn’t coincidence. This is chess.

Herzog’s visit to Panama marks the first-ever presidential trip from Israel to the country, and that’s the whole point. Panama currently holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, making it an absolute prize for an isolated nation hunting for reliable votes. The Israeli Foreign Ministry isn’t hiding the calculation: they’re explicitly calling Panama a “true friend of Israel and a current member of the UN Security Council.”

In Costa Rica, Herzog will attend the inauguration of President-elect Laura Fernandez Delgado, continuing the charm offensive. Both nations have proven their worth to Israel already, abstaining from a 2024 UN resolution demanding Israel end its occupation of Palestinian territory, and Panama abstaining from a September vote supporting a two-state solution when only 12 countries sided with Israel.

But here’s what makes this move genuinely significant: Latin America is fracturing. While small Central American nations are tightening ties with Israel and the United States, heavyweight left-wing leaders like Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are becoming vocal pro-Palestine firebrands. Lula recently blasted Israel’s detention of aid flotilla activists in international waters, calling it “unjustifiable” and a violation of international law. The battle for Latin American hearts is heating up.

Israel’s calculated response includes sweeping trade deals (a free trade agreement with Costa Rica in December) and opening a trade office in Jerusalem. The US State Department is already blessing these moves, framing them as deepening “cooperation between Israel and Latin America.”

The subtext is clear: Herzog is working overtime to maintain a coalition of smaller nations dependent on US support, converting geopolitical alignment into UN votes. As Israel’s isolation deepens, these regional partnerships are becoming survival currency.