Israel and the Czech Republic sign space cooperation declaration in Tel Aviv

Israel and the Czech Republic have signed a joint declaration of intent on cooperation in space, according to a press release from the Israeli government. The document was signed in Tel Aviv by Gila Gamliel, Israel's Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, and Dr. Václav Kobera, Director of the Czech Space Agency. The release gives the signing date as Tuesday, 13 October, at the offices of Startup Nation Central.

The government said the declaration is meant to prepare the ground for broader joint work in research, industry and space technology. It is not itself a treaty: the text records that both sides want to examine, at some later point, drafting an international agreement on the peaceful exploration and use of outer space. In the meantime, the two countries intend to work together on satellite operations and applications, Earth observation, robotics and exploration systems, optical systems, the development and demonstration of space technologies, and space education, as well as encouraging links between industry, universities and other stakeholders.

Who was there and what a declaration of intent means

A declaration of intent is a statement of shared goals rather than a binding commitment. In this case the government described it as a step toward a possible future agreement, not the agreement itself. According to the release, the ceremony was also attended by Ran Livne, Director of the Israel Space Agency, the government body responsible for the country's civilian space programme, and by Veronika Kuchyňová Šmigolová, the Czech ambassador to Israel, along with officials and industry figures from both countries.

Startup Nation Central, the venue, is a Tel Aviv organisation that works with the Israeli technology sector. It is also listed among the partners organising the business meetings that accompany the visit.

A push to strengthen Israel's space agency

Gamliel, who sits on the Security Cabinet, the small group of ministers that handles Israel's security decisions, used the occasion to argue for a change in the standing of the Israel Space Agency. She described space as "a critical strategic arena" bearing on Israel's security, economy and technological independence. She said her goal was an independent agency with a stable budget spanning several years, which would act as one clear point of contact for international agreements and help Israeli startups attract investment and test technology in space.

Livne made a similar case in remarks quoted by the government, saying a strong agency with long term planning ability and adequate resources was needed to realise Israel's potential in space and to serve as a national hub for international cooperation.

The diplomatic backdrop

The release presents the signing as part of a broader warming of relations between Israel and the Czech Republic. Gamliel thanked the Czech government for its support of Israel in recent years, singling out Prague's stance within Europe and its backing for Israeli researchers to keep taking part in Horizon Europe, the European Union's main research funding programme. "When we needed international support you stood by Israel," she said, according to the release.

Kobera, in a statement carried by the government, called the signing "a very important step" for cooperation between the two countries and described space as one of the most innovative sectors today.

Business meetings and a possible telescope link

The government release says dozens of senior figures from the Czech space industry are visiting Israel. As part of a Czech Israeli business forum, approximately 75 to 100 pre-arranged business-to-business meetings are planned between space companies from both countries over the following days. The meetings were organised by the two national space agencies, CzechTrade, the Czech embassy, Startup Nation Central and the Israel Space Forum, which the release says is powered by Rakia. The stated aim is to turn political and scientific ties into commercial projects and joint bids to European research programmes.

The release describes the Czech Republic as a growing player in European space activity, with dozens of companies working on satellite subsystems, electronics, robotics, optics, composite materials and space platforms. Prague hosts EUSPA, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme. The Czech government is also developing a space telescope called QUVIK, and the two sides are exploring whether it could work with GALI, a gamma ray detector built by a team led by Prof. Ehud Behar of the Technion, Israel's technology university.

What the reports do not say

This account rests on a single source, the Israeli government's own press release, and no independent coverage was available. The release does not give a timetable for negotiating any binding agreement, and it attaches no budget or funding figures to the planned cooperation. It does not say which companies are taking part in the business meetings or what concrete projects, if any, are expected from them. The QUVIK and GALI link is described only as being explored. Gamliel's call for an independent agency with a multi-year budget is stated as her objective; the release does not say whether any government decision on it has been taken. There is also a small inconsistency on timing: the release, published on 14.10.2026, dates the signing to 13 October in one passage and says it took place "today" in another.