Benjamin Netanyahu will become the first Israeli prime minister to visit Fiji.

His planned visit to the South Pacific island is expected to take place in February next year, when Mr Netanyahu will also spend time in Singapore and Australia.

Mr Netanyahu said the trip was part of a vital diplomatic effort to win favour for Israel at the UN .

“Why am I going to Fiji?” he asked in a video address to the Jewish Federations of North America’s general assembly in Washington DC.

“Because 15 countries, 15 islands that each gave a vote in the UN, are coming to that meeting.

“I’m telling you that it will be no more than a decade, and possibly a lot sooner, that the automatic majority against Israel in the UN will collapse, and Israel will actually find a fair hearing there.

"It’s not going to happen tomorrow. But it’ll happen, and sooner rather than later.”

Fiji has played an instrumental role in UN peace-keeping operations since 1978, providing troops to send to the Israeli-Syrian border, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and the Golan Heights.

Fijian Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama visited Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem earlier this month.

He said Fijians regarded Israelis as "very good friends" and his country wanted to help in the Middle East.