Belarus–Israel relations
Belarus and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1992. In 1947, Belarus (then known as the Byelorussian SSR) voted in favor for the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Belarus operates an embassy in Tel Aviv, while Israel operates an embassy in Minsk. Around 130,000 Belarusian citizens immigrated to Israel during the 1990s under the Law of Return. History. Jewish communities. Jews have been living in Belarus for more than six centuries and are an integral part of the ethnic structure of the Belarusian society. The first and the third President of the State of Israel, Chaim Weizmann  and Zalman Shazar, Prime Ministers Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Shimon Peres, who served as prime minister and president, one of the pioneers of the revival of the Hebrew language Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the artist Marc Chagall and many other famous Jewish figures, were born in what is today Belarus. On the territory of the BSSR during the Second World War, about 850,000 Jews were killed. At the moment, more than 680 Belarusians have been recognized as - Righteous Among the Nations, who hid Jews during the war. Nowadays about 130,000 immigrants from Belarus live in Israel. The number of Jews living  in Belarus is considered to be around 30–50,000. However, the number of Belarusians with Jewish descent is assumed to be higher. The Great Aliyah. During the 1990s, around 130,000 Belorussian citizens made aliyah to Israel. Visa-free travel. In September 2014, an agreement was signed on visa-free entry. The agreement will facilitate travel Israelis who wish to visit their relatives and friends in Belarus, as well as tourism between the countries. Start-ups. A number of Israeli startups have established operations in Belarus. An example was the Tel Aviv startup Viber, which was outsourced largely to Belarus before its  $900 million sale to Japan's Rakuten. Cultural exchange. Israel operates an Israeli cultural centre in Minsk. High-school exchange programmes have been established between Israel and Belarus. The Days of Israeli Culture festival has been held in Belarus, and The Days of Belarusian Culture in Israel. A photo exhibition in Tel Aviv, "Belarus and Israel: 25 Years of Friendship and Partnership", was held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of relations. Tourism. Israeli tourists are the eighth largest tourist nationality visiting Belarus. Israeli citizens are interested in Belarus's tourist attractions, recreation facilities, places of worship, monuments dating back  to the Second World War, and also places related to more than six centuries of Belarusians and Jews living together. Industrial projects and Scientific Agreements. Joint industrial projects include the creation of the Belarusian-Israeli agro-industrial park, to be completed by 2020. A number of joint projects in the field of agriculture are successfully implemented with the participation of Israeli capital and technology in Belarus in recent years. The joint Belarusian-Israeli Committee for Trade and Economic Cooperation is headed by Alexander Popkov and Sofa Landver. In May 2018, Belarus' State Science and Technology Committee and Israel's Ministry  of Science, Technology and Space concluded an agreement on cooperation in science and technology. The parties will set up a joint working group on cooperation in science and technology. Intergovernmental agreements. In April 2000, Israel and Belarus signed an agreement on avoidance of double taxation and an agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments. In October 2000, an agreement on trade and economic cooperation between the two countries was signed. The following intergovernmental agreements have been signed between Israel and Belarus: In July 2002 and December 2006 in Minsk, two rounds of Belarusian-Israeli consultations were held between  the Foreign Ministry at the level of deputy foreign ministers. Regional partnerships. Agreements on cooperation between the cities of Vitebsk and Rishon Lezion (March 2008), as well as between the cities of Hlybokaye and Kiryat Bialik (May 2011) have been signed. On February 21, 2011 in Israel, the mayor of Grodno, Boris Kozelkov, and the mayor of Ashkelon, Benny Vaknin, signed an agreement on the establishment of sister-city ties between Grodno and Ashkelon. On March 28, 2012 in Israel, the mayor of Brest, Alexander Polyshenkov, and the mayor of Ashdod, Yehiel Lasri, signed an agreement on establishing twin-city  relations between Brest and Ashdod.