Hungary will become Israel’s European support hub?

Hungarian think-tank head Miklós Szánthó has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the attacks in Israel, adding that the country had the right to self-defence, and he also accused “the international left wing” of providing ideological support for the terrorist attackers and of spreading of “a new European anti-Semitism”. Addressing the Center for Fundamental Rights’ International Pro-Israel conference, Szánthó said in his opening speech that the brutal attacks in Israel had endowed the conference with “chilling relevance”.

Hungary condemns Hamas’s ‘barbaric attack’

Hungary condemns Hamas’s “barbaric attack” against Israel, Zsolt Németh, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said on Monday. Not since the 1973 Yom Kippur War has Israel suffered on such a scale, Németh told MTI by phone whilst attending a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. “Hungary stands in solidarity with Israel and recognises its right to self-defense.”

He said the Abraham Accords had helped to forge peace in the Middle East and had been “the only viable path”. “Let’s ask in whose interest it was to quash it,” he said. Németh said on Monday evening he was attending a demonstration organised by French Jewish organisations in Strasbourg in front of the Council of Europe building, alongside members of the Hungarian delegation. “The spiral of violence can be felt increasingly keenly, and this puts a vital onus on the international community to restore and strengthen the world order,” he said.

Minister: Avoiding escalation of Israel-Palestine conflict a priority

Avoiding escalation of the conflict between Israel and Palestine “is now what is most important”, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said on Monday. A meeting of European Union and Gulf-state foreign ministers scheduled to start in Oman on Tuesday “will be the first in a long time not to focus on Ukraine,” Szijjártó said on Facebook. The terrorist attack on Israel, he said, had shocked international politics, and the Gulf states would have a key role in avoiding escalation, he said. Szijjártó arrives in Oman early on Tuesday.

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Think tank: Hungary may become Israel’s European support hub

Hungarian think-tank head Miklós Szánthó has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the attacks in Israel, adding that the country had the right to self-defence, and he also accused “the international left wing” of providing ideological support for the terrorist attackers and of spreading of “a new European anti-Semitism”. Addressing the Center for Fundamental Rights’ International Pro-Israel conference, Szánthó said in his opening speech that the brutal attacks in Israel had endowed the conference with “chilling relevance”.

Hungary and Israel, he said, were “champions of sovereignty” because “we are willing to go against the international mainstream.” Both, he added, protected traditions and a culture of respect for the nation and the respective role of religion. Szánthó insisted that “woke terrorists” had “put our God, our countries, and our families under fire”. Hungary, he said, was a “safe space” for Jews, and Hungary’s tight border protection played a big role in this.

He said that crowds in Western Europe were celebrating the terrorist attack by Hamas, but this would be unimaginable in Budapest. The think-tank head also insisted that “woke progressivism” had given rise to “a new anti-Semitism”. Péter Sztáray, the state secretary for security policy and energy security, said avoiding further escalation was the most important task before the international community. That requires a responsible approach from all countries in the region, he added.

Szabolcs Takács, Hungary’s Ambassador to the US, said the “proponents of migration” were “importing radicalism”. Eight Democrat representatives of the American House of Representatives had tried to organise an event supporting Palestine, and similar events had been held in Europe, he said. The EU commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said the European Commission would review its 700 million euro support for Palestine. The review will include support for currently running projects and funding for the coming years, he said. Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary and Israel had “deep and full” relations that included defence cooperation. Hungary has purchased equipment from Israel to improve its capabilities, he said.

The Center for Fundamental Rights said the conference conveyed the message that “Hungary supports Israel with determination and unconditionally, and fights modern anti-Semitism; our shared Judeo-Christian civilisation is at stake,” the center said. “We won’t be silent, we will stand up for Israel and for the victims and their families,” the statement said.