Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met today (Wednesday) in Prague with Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, who made an unprecedented declaration at the meeting’s conclusion. Macinka promised his country will stand with Israel and block any attempt to impose new sanctions in the European Union—even if it has to fight the battle alone. The meeting came against the backdrop of warm relations between the two countries and a recent solidarity visit Macinka made to Israel.
The Czech foreign minister detailed his country’s firm position: “We will definitely not allow any suspension or freezing of Israel’s association agreement with the European Union.” He added that the Czech Republic will seek partnerships with other countries to ensure that “no further aggressive steps from the European Union will harm the State of Israel,” emphasizing their position will be a clear “no.”
Sa’ar thanked his Czech counterpart for the strong support and leveled sharp criticism at other EU member states. “We are witnessing an attempt by certain leftist governments in Europe to drag the European Union toward a radical anti-Israel approach,” Sa’ar said. According to him, “These hostile governments are damaging strategic relations with the only democracy in the Middle East in order to win applause from terror states.”