Israeli diplomat Eran Strod, the country's honorary consul to Thailand for the past 25 years, made history last week by becoming the first Israeli official to be awarded one of Thailand's highest royal honors – the Royal Decoration of Member (Fifth Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant.
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The order was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is regularly awarded to government officials. Stod, a third-generation honorary consul of Thailand, is the first non-Thai official to be honored in this manner.
The decoration was conferred at a ceremony held on July 26 at the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv. Thai Ambassador to Israel Pannabha Chandraramya presided over the ceremony, which was followed by a festive reception in Strod's honor.
Also present at the ceremony were Strod's wife, Alona, his father Honorary Consul General of Thailand in Tel Aviv Eddy Strod, embassy officials, and guests from Israel's public and private sectors.
Chandraramya thanked Strod for his longtime service to both countries and his contribution to fostering ties between Israel and Thailand.
Jerusalem and Bangkok established diplomatic and cultural ties in June 1954. The Israeli Embassy in Bangkok was established in 1958, and the Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv opened in 1996.
Diplomats describe relations between Thailand and Israel as warm and close, and the Southeast Asian country is among the top tourist destinations in the world for Israelis. In 2012, the two countries signed a bilateral trade agreement after which Israel became popular for Thai migrant workers: thousands of Thais are employed in Israel, mainly in agriculture and in Asian restaurants as cooks.
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