Israeli President Herzog’s Budapest visit: key diplomatic talks with Hungarian leaders 🔄

Israel can continue to rely on Hungary’s support in the international arena, President Tamás Sulyok said after talks with his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, in Budapest on Tuesday.

President Sulyok’s speech

Sulyok added that, in the European Union, Hungary promoted “a cooperation-centred position”.

In a statement, the president said Hungary “most firmly condemns anti-Semitism and applies zero tolerance to any of its manifestations”. He added that this was among the priorities of Hungary’s EU presidency last year.

It is important that Hungary’s Jewish communities should feel safe, “especially in light of what has recently been seen in Europe”, the president said. Hungary is committed to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive for future generations, Sulyok said in his statement. Sulyok thanked his guest for his visit “in this extraordinary, tense situation”. He said they saw eye to eye on issues such as the security of borders, as well as issues around national sovereignty and identity.

“I am convinced that a strong Israel is not only crucial for the security of the Middle East but for that of Europe, too, as well as for the protection of European Jews and in the fight against anti-Semitism,” the president added.

Hungary, as on earlier occasions, condemns Hamas’s “brutal terrorist attack and military aggression, inhuman treatment of hostages and using people as human shields,” Sulyok said.

Dialogue between Hungary and Israel “is uninterrupted”, and there are no problematic or open questions between them, the president said, adding that strategic cooperation in the areas of research and development, the defence industry, and education and culture could be further deepened.

The president said he trusted that Hungary’s friendly relations with Israel could be maintained.

President Herzog’s speech

Herzog thanked Hungary for its support of Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Hungary, he said, had shown “deep friendship” towards Israel, which it was “refusing to break in the midst of the anti-Zionism, anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism flooding the world”.

Hungary’s efforts were “clear” in connection with “the International Criminal Court’s decision against Israel” and other international institutions, he said. Hungary has also stood up for Israel’s right to bring home the hostages kidnapped in the Gaza strip, he said. “These are the moments when true friendship shows.”

He also thanked Sulyok and Hungary’s government for their efforts to root out anti-Semitism.

Netanyahu also invited to Hungary

Orbán has already invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Budapest in November 2024, even though the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has issued an international arrest warrant for him for alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza war. In June 2024, the Hungarian PM tasked his three ministers with investigating what would happen if Hungary were the only EU member to leave the ICC’s jurisdiction. Read details: Israeli PM Netanyahu may come to visit Hungary despite arrest warrant.

Much has changed since then, with US President Donald Trump imposing sanctions on members of the International Criminal Court based in The Hague after he took office. The United States has not recognised the war crimes body anyway, but the US president says the court is illegally acting against Washington and Israel. The Orbán cabinet is likely to follow the new US administration in this, as it has done on several occasions, even against its allies, for example, the Hungarian government is now launching a harsh communication attack against Macron and several European leaders:

• Orbán cabinet: ‘Pro-war’ leaders meet in Paris to prevent peace in Ukraine
• Orbán cabinet: Paris summit ‘a meeting of losers’ – UPDATE

UPDATE

Orbán meets Israeli President Isaac Herzog

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in his office on Tuesday..

The two leaders discussed current issues concerning the changing world order and the peace and stability of the Middle East during their working lunch, the statement said. They both welcomed the dynamic development of relations in Hungarian-Israeli economic cooperation.

Orban reaffirmed at the meeting that Hungary recognises Israel’s right to self-defence.