"People on the street who don't even know me want to take pictures, hug me and tell me they’re praying for us. It's amazing,” said Harel Perel, a 23-year-old former IDF soldier, who was overwhelmed by the warm reception he received upon arriving in Samoa, a small island nation in the South Pacific.
“This is the most pro-Israel country I’ve ever been to,” he told Ynet. “There’s actually a community of Samoans who follow news from Israel, pray for us and host Israelis in their homes for free.”
Samoa, a Polynesian island state about 1,000 miles northeast of New Zealand, is home to around 219,000 people. The archipelago includes two main islands, Upolu and Savai‘i, along with several smaller ones.
“I’ve been backpacking solo since finishing my military service,” Harel said. “After spending time in Australia, I heard about a remote, tropical island that’s easy to reach and not heavily touristed, not like Thailand, where you're constantly surrounded by tourists and Israelis. I was curious.”
Before arriving, he connected on Facebook with a local Samoan woman who, he said, even had a photo of the Israeli flag on her profile. “She’s not Jewish or connected to Israel, but she wrote to me: ‘We’re praying for Israel. Come stay with us for free,’” he recalled.
“I heard from others that this is actually a common thing there, so I decided to go for it. When I arrived, they picked me up at the airport, paid my entry fee, brought me home and made me dinner—all just because I’m Israeli.”
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A pleasant morning in Apia, the capital of Samoa
(Photo: Ramunas Bruzas/Shutterstock)
How do Samoans explain their deep affection for Israel?
“Basically, everyone here is a devout Christian,” Perel said. “They go to church, they pray and they believe the Land of Israel is holy. Jesus was born there, and they just have this unconditional love for Israel—because of what’s written in the Bible.”
So it’s not just a one-off experience?
“No, definitely not. It happens all the time. Every Israeli who comes here is invited to stay with locals. Even people who don’t host me and don’t know me at all approach me on the street, want to take pictures, hug me and say they’re praying for us. It’s incredible. They’re really up to date on everything happening in Israel. They even update me on politics and the war.”
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Can you disconnect from what’s happening back home?
“Personally, it’s very hard. In fact, I think the farther away you are, the more deeply you feel it. The emotions are stronger. And every Samoan I meet asks me, ‘How’s the war?’ or says, ‘I heard the Druze crossed the border.’”
How long do you plan to stay?
“I bought a one-way ticket. I’ll just go with the flow.”
What’s daily life like there?
“I’m staying in this little beach hut, kind of like in Sinai. The ocean is right in front of me—I wake up in the morning and go snorkeling. Everything here is incredibly beautiful and fairly cheap. Not as cheap as Thailand, but totally doable. You can go to the lagoon, visit waterfalls, snorkel with clams.”
Sum it up in one sentence—why should people come to Samoa?
“There’s an amazing culture here, and it’s a privilege to feel proud to be Israeli. That’s not something we experience often. But here, when you say you’re from Israel, people’s eyes light up—they smile at you. I’ve never felt anything like it anywhere else.”