Rodrigo Duterte landed in Israel on Sunday for a four-day visit to Israel, the first by a Philippine president.
At Ben-Gurion International Airport, Duterte was greeted by Israel's Communications Minister Ayoob Kara.
Before departing from Manila, Duterte said he looked forward to "broader cooperation on a broad range of mutually important areas – defense and security, law enforcement, economic development, trade [and] investments and labor."
While in Israel, Duterte is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin.
Duterte is accompanied on his trip by a large delegation of Philippine ministers, senators and prominent businesspeople.
While in Israel, Duterte will chair a business seminar that is to be attended by the heads of major corporations from both countries.
Officials in Jerusalem have expressed hope that during his visit, Duterte will make a statement affirming the city's status as Israel's capital.
Officials from both countries will discuss the opening of a direct flight route between Tel Aviv and Manila and sign a series of bilateral agreements in the fields of energy, science, technology as well as agreements aimed at protecting the rights of Filipino workers in Israel.
Duterte will attend a Filipino community event Sunday evening. An estimated 28,000 Filipinos live in Israel; most are employed as caretakers.
A Filipino woman living in Israel, Lisa Levi, told Channel 10 that she was "excited" and "proud" the president is visiting.
Speaking in Hebrew, she said, "I wish I could hug him and thank him for everything he does."
She said her home country is safer now that he is in power and noted that accusations leveled against him of rights abuses are "untrue."
On Monday, Duterte is scheduled to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem. Later that day he will visit the Open Doors monument, which commemorates the Philippines' rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, in Rishon Lezion's Memorial Park.
Duterte drew outrage in 2016 when he compared his anti-drug campaign to the Nazi genocide of Jews in World War II and said he would be "happy to slaughter" 3 million addicts. He later apologized.
According to local media reports, sales of Israeli weapons to the Philippine government are high on the agenda. Philippine officials have said the Philippines has recently acquired Israeli-made arms such as Galil assault rifles and pistols for its 120,000-strong police force, which is on the front line of Duterte's battle against illegal drugs and other crimes.
Israeli human rights activists plan to protest the visit and have encouraged President Reuven Rivlin not to meet him over accusations of rights abuses at home.
Official Philippine police tallies place the number of suspects killed in police-led anti-drug raids at more than 4,500 since Duterte took office in June 2016. International human rights watchdogs have cited far higher death tolls.
Duterte, a 73-year-old former government prosecutor, denies condoning extrajudicial killings but has openly and repeatedly threatened drug dealers with death.
Relatives of several people slain in the president's anti-drug campaign last week asked the International Criminal Court to prosecute him for alleged crimes against humanity, in the second such request for a ruling on the deaths that have occurred during the crackdown.
Duterte's visit is the first by a Philippine president to Israel since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1957.
