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Bulgaria: Israel’s Friend That You Didn’t Know About

Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Photo: Pexels.

In these challenging times, Bulgaria remains a key strategic partner for Israel in southeastern Europe. In July 2023, President Rumen Radev emphasized this by stating, “There exists a genuine sense of friendship and understanding between the peoples of the two countries based on deep cultural and historical ties, active partnership and mutual trust.”

Bulgaria has a history of low antisemitism, and has consistently supported the Jewish people. Its saving of the Bulgarian Jews during World War II was an unprecedented act that sealed the bond between Bulgaria and the Jewish people for eternity. At the time, Bulgarian politicians from across the political spectrum, members of Parliament led by Dimitar Peshev, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, writers, lawyers, doctors, artists, journalists, and many other prominent public figures stood up for their fellow Jewish citizens and opposed the government’s plan to deport them.

As a result, all of Bulgaria’s pre-war Jewish community who lived within the country’s borders — nearly 50,000 Jews — remained alive. A total of 11,343 Jews living in Bulgarian-occupied territories in Macedonia and Thrace were deported to concentration camps, with the participation of Bulgarian authorities.

After 1948, most Bulgarian Jews left Soviet-allied Bulgaria and immigrated to Israel. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, Bulgarian Jews constituted 5% of all new immigrants in the 1948-1954 period. They created a living bridge between Bulgaria and Israel that has lasted for decades and should continue for many years to come.

Following the October 7, 2023 terrorist atrocities, Bulgaria demonstrated strong institutional support for Israel. The government condemned Hamas’s terrorist attack and expressed unwavering support for Israel. The National Assembly building was illuminated with the colors of the Israeli flag as a sign of solidarity. Bulgaria granted permission to Israeli citizens to fly to Israel and use the same planes to return without any restrictions, and at no additional cost. A “Prayer for Peace” was held at Sofia Central Synagogue that was attended by the president, the chairman of the National Assembly, and other high-ranking officials, along with leaders and members of all religious faiths, ruling majority members, and ambassadors.

In October 2023, the National Assembly approved a strong declaration in support of Israel, with no opposing votes. In November, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, reaffirming Bulgaria’s full support for Israel and belief in Israel’s right to self-defense. A group of Bulgarian MPs visited Kfar Aza, Sderot, and the Shura military base to witness the aftermath of the October 7 massacre firsthand.

Bulgaria continued to stand by Israel in the following months. Pro-Palestinian rallies were banned by the authorities due to their indirect support for the terrorist organization Hamas. As antisemitism surged in the rest of Europe in the wake of October 7, its manifestations in Bulgaria have been limited to occasional hate speech on social media. Bulgarian universities have adhered to sound academic practices and provided a platform for Israeli voices to be heard.

On April 5, 2024, the UN Human Rights Council adopted an anti-Israel resolution condemning Israel for the war in Gaza, opposing its right to defend itself, and demanding that it be subjected to an arms embargo. Bulgaria was one of six countries, including the United States and Germany, that voted against the resolution. This was a strong demonstration that Bulgaria continues to be one of Israel’s most dependable global partners.

Economic and trade relations

Bulgaria and Israel cooperate in many fields, including politics, economics, strategic issues, culture, innovation, cybersecurity, energy, healthcare, and environmental protection. Many Israeli companies have offices in Bulgaria.

Bulgarian-Israeli trade and economic relations are founded on a robust bilateral legal framework established in the 1990s and strengthened by agreements such as the 2009 Economic Cooperation Agreement, the 2012 Agreement for Bilateral Cooperation in Industrial Research and Development, and the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding between the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Tourism, regarding defense industry cooperation. Israel recently ratified the Agreement for Cooperation in the Field of Water, which is expected to take effect immediately.

In recent years, bilateral trade has grown and diversified. In 2022, Israeli exports to Bulgaria totaled $62.8 million, including copper scrap, non-woven fabrics, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, polymers, plastic elements, and fertilizers. In the same year, Israel imported $320 million worth of goods from Bulgaria, including petroleum oils, wheat, rye, barley, starch, plastic elements, passenger cars, and chemical elements. By the end of 2023, Israeli investments in Bulgaria amounted to €298.1 million, according to the Bulgarian National Bank.

Tourism

Tourism traditions between Bulgaria and Israel are longstanding. Israelis are warmly welcomed in Bulgaria, and the number of Israeli tourists has been steadily increasing. This positive trend was unaffected by Hezbollah’s terrorist attack on Israelis on July 18, 2012, at Burgas Airport in Sarafovo.

In 2022, more than 174,000 Israeli tourists visited Bulgaria compared to 54,342 the previous year, according to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. Direct flights between Tel Aviv and Sofia are operated by six companies, varying by season. Israelis are drawn to Bulgaria’s natural beauty, rich history, warm hospitality, and cuisine. Popular destinations for Israeli tourists include Sofia, Nessebar, Varna, Bansko, Samokov, Borovets and Plovdiv. At the same time, Israel is a favored destination for pilgrims from Christian-majority Bulgaria.

In January 2023, the tourism ministers of Bulgaria and Israel, Ilin Dimitrov and Haim Katz, respectively, signed an agreement in Sofia to enhance cooperation in specific tourism sectors, such as spa and wellness, adventure, cultural-historical, and religious tourism.

Why strong ties with Bulgaria are important

Bulgaria is an important ally for Israel in the Balkans, especially after the deterioration in Israeli-Turkish relations over the ongoing war in Gaza. In 2023, Bulgaria and Turkey celebrated the 100th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. They enjoy good neighborly relations and are NATO allies. Turkey is Bulgaria’s largest non-EU trading partner, with trade between the two countries exceeding €7 billion in 2022. Bilateral tourism is also significant. Bulgaria supports Turkey’s EU membership bid and is often referred to as “Turkey’s gateway to Europe.”

When regional and global challenges arise, Bulgaria and Turkey look to each other for mutual support. After Russia cut gas supplies to EU nations via Ukraine, the two countries cooperated to ensure the energy security of southeastern Europe, with Turkey playing a crucial role thanks to its LNG terminals. Bulgaria is in the middle of several EU energy corridors and has its own extensive network of gas pipelines. This positions Bulgaria as an important transit country for potential pipelines that could transport non-Russian gas to eastern as well as central Europe, which would help Europe reduce its dependency on Russia.

On May 2, Turkey’s trade ministry announced that it was freezing all trade with Israel due to the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. (Trade turnover between Israel and Turkey amounted to over $7 billion in 2023.) To bypass these restrictions and maintain the flow of Turkish goods to Israel, importers are considering routes through European countries like Bulgaria and Romania.

Bulgaria, a co-founder of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), has been active in its development and regional cooperation efforts. Initiated by Turkey, BSEC has grown into a significant international organization that works to enhance regional economic integration. Bulgaria values BSEC’s economic cooperation, seeing it as vital for regional development with substantial trade and energy potential across two continents.

Since Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007, BSEC’s scope has expanded, integrating EU member states, strategic partners, candidate countries, and partner countries. Key priorities include energy and transport infrastructure, security, and the adoption of European democratic norms.

Bulgaria supports various strategic projects, including major pipelines and transport links, to enhance regional cooperation. Overall, BSEC has proven to be a successful framework for regional cooperation. Bulgaria remains dedicated to fostering synergy between BSEC and the EU, contributing to the region’s prosperity and stability.

Given these factors, Bulgaria could serve as a catalyst for the fostering of closer ties between Israel and BSEC member countries. It could also serve as a mediator between Israel and Turkey when those states are ready for a rapprochement. Additionally, Bulgaria could serve as a gateway to Israel for other Balkan countries, allowing them to replace Turkey’s significance for Israel in an assortment of sectors and strengthen their ties with Israel.

Prof. Efrat Aviv is a senior researcher at the BESA Center and an associate professor in the Department of History and at Bar-Ilan University. Dr. Petar Stoilov is a researcher at the University Center for Regional Studies and Analyses at Sofia University, “St. Kliment Ohridski”.  A version of this article was originally published by The BESA Center.

The post Bulgaria: Israel’s Friend That You Didn’t Know About first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Iranian Media Claims Obtaining ‘Sensitive’ Israeli Intelligence Materials

FILE PHOTO: The atomic symbol and the Iranian flag are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

i24 NewsIranian and Iran-affiliated media claimed on Saturday that the Islamic Republic had obtained a trove of “strategic and sensitive” Israeli intelligence materials related to Israel’s nuclear facilities and defense plans.

“Iran’s intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime,” Iran’s state broadcaster said, referring to Israel in the manner accepted in those Muslim or Arab states that don’t recognize its legitimacy. The statement was also relayed by the Lebanese site Al-Mayadeen, affiliated with the Iran-backed jihadists of Hezbollah.

The reports did not include any details on the documents or how Iran had obtained them.

The intelligence reportedly included “thousands of documents related to that regime’s nuclear plans and facilities,” it added.

According to the reports, “the data haul was extracted during a covert operation and included a vast volume of materials including documents, images, and videos.”

The report comes amid high tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, over which it is in talks with the US administration of President Donald Trump.

Iranian-Israeli tensions reached an all-time high since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, including Iranian rocket fire on Israel and Israeli aerial raids in Iran that devastated much of the regime’s air defenses.

Israel, which regards the prospect of the antisemitic mullah regime obtaining a nuclear weapon as an existential threat, has indicated it could resort to a military strike against Iran’s installations should talks fail to curb uranium enrichment.

The post Iranian Media Claims Obtaining ‘Sensitive’ Israeli Intelligence Materials first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

The Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.

Nattapong Pinta’s body was held by a Palestinian terrorist group called the Mujahedeen Brigades, and was recovered from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified.

Pinta, an agricultural worker, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small Israeli community near the Gaza border where a quarter of the population was killed or taken hostage during the Hamas attack that triggered the devastating war in Gaza.

Israel’s military said Pinta had been abducted alive and killed by his captors, who had also killed and taken to Gaza the bodies of two more Israeli-American hostages that were retrieved earlier this week.

There was no immediate comment from the Mujahedeen Brigades, who have previously denied killing their captives, or from Hamas. The Israeli military said the Brigades were still holding the body of another foreign national. Only 20 of the 55 remaining hostages are believed to still be alive.

The Mujahedeen Brigades also held and killed Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, according to Israeli authorities. Their bodies were returned during a two-month ceasefire, which collapsed in March after the two sides could not agree on terms for extending it to a second phase.

Israel has since expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip as US, Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered.

US-BACKED AID GROUP HALTS DISTRIBUTIONS

The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave, with the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition nearly tripling.

Aid distribution was halted on Friday after the US-and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said overcrowding had made it unsafe to continue operations. It was unclear whether aid had resumed on Saturday.

The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. It says it has provided around 9 million meals so far.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that 350 trucks of humanitarian aid belonging to U.N. and other international relief groups were transferred this week via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.

The war erupted after Hamas-led terrorists took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the October 7, 2023 attack, Israel’s single deadliest day.

The post Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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US Mulls Giving Millions to Controversial Gaza Aid Foundation, Sources Say

Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo

The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former US officials, a move that would involve the US more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos.

The sources and former US officials, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the US State Department.

The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources said.

The GHF, which has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality, began distributing aid last week amid warnings that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli aid blockade, which was lifted on May 19 when limited deliveries were allowed to resume.

The foundation has seen senior personnel quit and had to pause handouts twice this week after crowds overwhelmed its distribution hubs.

The State Department and GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reuters has been unable to establish who is currently funding the GHF operations, which began in Gaza last week. The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution at so-called secure distribution sites.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that a Chicago-based private equity firm, McNally Capital, has an “economic interest” in the for-profit US contractor overseeing the logistics and security of GHF’s aid distribution hubs in the enclave.

While US President Donald Trump’s administration and Israel say they don’t finance the GHF operation, both have been pressing the United Nations and international aid groups to work with it.

The US and Israel argue that aid distributed by a long-established U.N. aid network was diverted to Hamas. Hamas has denied that.

USAID has been all but dismantled. Some 80 percent of its programs have been canceled and its staff face termination as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to align US foreign policy with his “America First” agenda.

One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official said the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency’s dismemberment.

The source said that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF’s operations for 180 days.

The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The two sources said that some US officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF’s contractor, and violence nearby.

Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources said.

The post US Mulls Giving Millions to Controversial Gaza Aid Foundation, Sources Say first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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