Protests were held over the past week in Colombo demanding the Israeli Government to allow the flow of aid into Gaza. The protestors also called upon the Government of Sri Lanka to show solidarity with the Palestinian Liberation Movement following the Israeli forces seizure of the aid ship Madleen and the kidnapping of activists, journalists, European Parliament and doctors onboard the ship which carried vital food and medical supplies.
The aid ship – part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FCC) has been attempting to breach the Israeli blockade on the Gaza strip, which the UN says has created a “man-made famine” in Gaza. The ship was carrying baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, menstrual products, water desalination kits, medical supplies, crutches, and children’s prosthetics when it was attacked by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Egypt, in the early hours of Monday (9).
The protestors called upon the Government of Sri Lanka to denounce Israel’s violations of international law and human rights, also highlighted issues that have impacted locals especially in the Southern coast of Sri Lanka due to illegal Israeli-owned businesses, discrimination and harassment of locals by Israelis in Sri Lanka. Amid these calls one demand stood out louder than ever before. A demand for the Government of Sri Lanka to cut off all diplomatic ties with Israel in light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The same demand has now created a vicious debate on social media, with hashtag campaigns such as #NoTiesWithIsrael and #CutTiesWithIsrael trending.
The Sunday Observer did a historical lookback, and spoke to activists and experts to understand the feasibility of such a diplomatic severance and its impacts on Sri Lanka and its future.
A history of strategic ally to severed ties
While some may find such a move to be of a dramatic and even a rash reaction to the crisis in the Middle East, the relevance of whether Sri Lanka’s involvement in a humanitarian crisis across the ocean has now been put into question. Yet, the diplomatic history between Israel reveals a compelling narrative of cooperation, disruption, and realignment. From initial alliances in the early years of independence to full diplomatic ruptures under pressure from the Arab world and internal political sentiment, the Sri Lanka – Israel story is a telling case of how global geopolitics and domestic politics intertwine.
The late Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake defied the prevailing mood among Asian and African nations and initiated cooperation with Israel, but the newfound friendship did not last for long. Harking a foreign policy built on anti-colonial rhetoric and solidarity with Arab nationalist movements, late Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike aligned Sri Lanka with Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser and his campaign to nationalise the Suez Canal. This shift marked the beginning of a broader policy reversal.
His successor and widow, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, continued this trend during her own premiership. A staunch advocate of the Non-Aligned Movement, she increasingly aligned Sri Lanka’s foreign policy with Arab and Palestinian causes. By the 1970s, diplomatic channels between Colombo and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) grew increasingly active, with PLO representatives lobbying the Sri Lankan Government to sever ties with Israel.
In a move that reflected both domestic political considerations and international posturing, Bandaranaike formally cut diplomatic ties with Israel. The decision was justified on the grounds that Israel had violated UN Security Council Resolution 242, but its symbolic weight lay in its alignment with pan-Arab solidarity and growing anti-Zionist sentiment in the Global South. Yet this severance lasted less than 7 years.
In 1977, amid escalating civil war in Sri Lanka, President J.R. Jayewardene sought international military assistance. After the Western allies declined to supply arms and called on the parties to seek a peaceful solution, the Jayewardene administration reached out to Israel. Back-channel diplomacy involving figures such as Minister Lalith Athulathmudali, who had previously lectured at Hebrew University, and Jayewardene’s son Ravi Jayewardene, helped re-establish contact.
By April 1984, diplomatic relations had been officially restored, and an Israeli mission was reopened in Colombo. This marked a turning point, Israel’s support which now included security expertise and strategic intelligence, most notably from the Mossad. Under the reconnected diplomatic relationship, the Sri Lankan Government was encouraged by the then Israeli Government to expedite the 30-year long Mahaweli development project within six years. The Jayewardene administration believed that the vast irrigation and resettlement initiative would be in part a strategy to counter the Tamil separatist movements by populating the dry zones in the North and the East with Sinhalese farming towns and hamlets. A strategy the Israeli Government continues to use on the illegally occupied Palestinian territories on the West Bank to this day.
In 1991, President Ranasinghe Premadasa delivered the final blow to Sri Lanka–Israel relations. Reversing the pro-Israeli stance of his predecessor, he voted against the repeal of UN General Assembly Resolution 3379, which had controversially equated Zionism with racism.
In 1992, Premadasa officially terminated diplomatic relations with Israel for a second time. Once again, this move was framed as a stand for Palestinian rights and a protest against Israel’s Middle East policies. Observers believe the decision was influenced not only by solidarity with the Arab world but also by pressure from Sri Lanka’s own Muslim community and political calculations in a tense domestic environment. The second severance marked the end of Israel’s formal diplomatic presence in Sri Lanka for over a decade.
Choosing pragmatism and morality
Despite its history, Sri Lanka in the past few years has taken a more moderate approach when addressing the Palestinian question let alone severing ties or engaging with the Israeli Government .
Speaking to the Sunday Observer, geopolitical analyst and the Director of the Law and Security Studies Nilanthan Niruthan said that while it is understandable as to why the ongoing situation in Gaza could have one side calling for the severance of diplomatic ties, the whole question must be looked at from a point of pragmatism and moralism.
“When a country like ours is in a dire economic crisis as we are in, we must ask ourselves whether we are in a position to alienate another country?” said Niruthan.
He said that given the migrant workers and other diplomatic ties Sri Lanka maintains with Israel, cutting off diplomatic ties is not the wisest of moves. When asked whether Sri Lanka bore any responsibility for Israel’s violations of international law, Niruthan rejected the claim, despite the fact that many Sri Lankan migrant workers in Israel are employed on farms and in factories located within illegally occupied Palestinian territories. According to Niruthan, given the interconnectedness of the world at present, the world is more or less complicit in many more crimes and violations carried out by other nations as well.
“This does not mean that the suffering of the Gazans or the rest of Palestine does not deserve any sympathy,” Niruthan said,
Sri Lanka – UN peacekeeping forces – Israel
In the early 2000s the Israel-Sri Lanka relationship was restored once again. Since then Sri Lanka played a game of balance, strengthening its ties with both Palestine and Israel. Every now and then publishing statements condemning violence aggravated from both ends. Yet in October 2024, the aggression fell upon Sri Lanka when Israeli forces attacked the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters, injuring two Sri Lankan soldiers. The UNIFIL, which was entrusted by the UN Security Council to help the Lebanese Army keep control over the South of the country, which borders Israel, consisted of a Sri Lankan contingent of 125 soldiers at the time.
Following the attack many Sri Lankan politicians, especially from minority parties, called on severing diplomatic ties with Israel. However the call was ignored by the Government, with some politicians citing the impact such an action could have on the tourism industry in Sri Lanka.
Speaking to the Sunday Observer, prominent human rights activist and one of the organisers of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Colombo, Jeana de Zoysa said that it is a mistake to believe that such a measure could have a drastic impact on the country’s economy.
“I don’t understand why people talk like Israel is the be all and end all of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. Migrant workers have been sending remittances to Sri Lanka and tourists have been coming to Sri Lanka outside of Israel,” said de Zoysa.
She said that severance of diplomatic ties goes beyond a symbolic gesture and ensures that the Israeli Government’s agenda in Sri Lanka will be more transparent. She said that Israelis, some who are members of the Israeli Defence Forces, are purchasing land and running business at an unprecedented level putting at risk the livelihoods and the way of life of entire communities in Sri Lanka. She also said that to believe Sri Lanka has more to lose if diplomatic ties are severed is redundant given that more than a dozen countries in the Global South have already severed ties or recalled the Ambassadors from Israel.
“We can either sit at home and cry about Gaza or go out there and do something. And remember, every fire no matter how vicious it is, burns itself out at the end.” said de Zoysa.
