Hungary considers Israel a friend, so it is natural that Hungary will stand by its friend when it comes under attack, Szijjártó told a joint press briefing after the talks.

Netanyahu expressed thanks for Hungary’s support and Szijjártó reassured him that Hungary would take the same position in the future as well.

Szijjártó said Hungary would veto any future statement or resolution that was “unfair” to the Middle Eastern country, took an anti-Israel stance or had anti-Semitic undertones.

Though Israel was attacked by a terrorist organisation in the form of Hamas, this was not made clear in the international political arena, Szijjártó said.

The international community failed to stand by Israel due to “hypocrisy and double standards”, he added.

Szijjártó said Israel and Hamas had practically been treated as equals on the international political scene, “as if Hamas were some kind of NGO”. However, it should be made clear that Hamas is a terrorist group that attacked Israel, he said.

Speaking to Hungarian public media during his visit, Szijjártó emphasised Israel’s right to defend itself.

Hungary to Build Mobile Tactical Shelters for Israel

A Hungarian construction company is building mobile tactical shelters that will be used for protection against rocket strikes in Israel, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after talks with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi in Petah Tikva.

Under the deal signed between the Hungarian company and an Israeli defence industry firm, Hungary will build over 1,000 such shelters which will be used to shield thousands of Israelis, Szijjártó told a press conference.

Hungary assigns strategic importance to its cooperation with Israel, “which we also demonstrate through our actions as opposed to just paying lip service to the idea”, the minister said.

“We turn our words into actions, and we are also capable of contributing to the protection of thousands or tens of thousands of Israelis against rocket strikes,” he said.

Israel was attacked by a terrorist organisation, which fired thousands of rockets on Israeli cities and densely populated areas, “endangering thousands, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of lives” Szijjártó said, in reference to the recent escalation of violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

“We regret that international organisations have disputed the fact that Israel has been attacked by a terrorist organisation.”

Szijjártó highlighted the US-backed “Abraham Accords” as the key to peace in the Middle East, noting that they had allowed Israel to normalise its relations with several Arab countries.

Hungary, he said, was also pushing for stronger cooperation between the EU and Israel, adding that the government regretted “that this position doesn’t have a clear majority in the European Union right now”.

Szijjártó said anti-Semitism was on the rise again in some major cities in western Europe.

“There were already signs of this at the start of the illegal migration waves, but in recent weeks there’ve been openly anti-Semitic demonstrations in some major western European cities which millions of Europeans rightfully found concerning,” he said.

Ashkenazi thanked Szijjártó for Hungary’s support during the recent Operation Guardian of the Walls. He also expressed thanks for Hungary’s open and clear support of Israel’s right to defend itself and for Hungary’s condemnation of the rocket strikes on the homes of Israeli civilians.

Ashkenazi described Hungary as a “strong friend” which has continuously expressed its solidarity with Israel during military operations, in international diplomacy and in the UN.


Photo courtesy: FM's Facebook page