Hungary – The Hungarian President Katalin Novák visited Israel on 5 November to show solidarity with the Israeli people, a month after the unprecedented terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas against communities in southern Israel on 7 October 2023. Over 3000 Palestinian terrorists killed more than 800 Israeli civilians and 300 soldiers, and took around 240 hostages.

“We stand up for Israel”

The Hungarian head of state declared on her Facebook account from Jerusalem, where she “arrived […] on [her] way home from Australia” and met her Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog: “We stand up for Israel. Now I am meeting with President of Israel Isaac Herzog, to be followed by a meeting with the families of the Hungarian hostages taken by Hamas.

[…] What happens in Israel can never be indifferent to Hungary. I have personally reassured Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Hungary stands up for Israel. Israel has the right to defend itself. I also asked the Israeli President to ensure that countermeasures avoid civilian targets and allow humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

President Herzog thanked the Hungarians for their friendship and courageous stand and reassured me that attention will be paid to the life of civilians. There is also full agreement that Hamas must immediately release the hostages.”

“The goal is to achieve peace”

During her visit, Katalin Novák also stressed that – according to Hungary’s position, as well as in the Russian-Ukrainian war – “the goal is to end terror and achieve peace”.

On this occasion, the Hungarian news portal Mandiner pointed out that this “visit highlights the excellent relations between Hungary and Israel, as before the Hungarian President, only the most important leaders of the Western world and Israel’s closest European allies were received by the Israeli leadership in the framework of a solidarity visit” (the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden, the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer).

Hungary is one of Israel’s most important European allies

According to Mandiner, Novák’s “visit therefore confirms Hungary’s place among Israel’s most important European allies” and underlines that Hungary, where no pro-Palestinian protest has occurred against the Israeli retaliations against the Gaza Strip, “is now one of the safest countries in Europe for Jews”.