Czechs, Israelis gather to tout countries’ ties at Prague conference
Likud MK: "You, the Czech people, are some of our dearest, closest friends."
By TAMARA ZIEVEPrague Castle(photo credit: JORGE RYAN, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Israeli and Czech leaders hailed relations between the two countries at a two-day international conference focusing on Israel’s ties with Europe, which kicked off in Prague on Monday.Some 200 members of the Czech Parliament, senior government officials, members of academia, civil society, students, the Jewish community, Christian supporters and other opinion molders attended the event, hosted by the Czech Friends of Israel Association under the title “Israel and Europe 2017: Challenges, Opportunities and Moving Forward.”Addressing the Czech Parliament on Monday, keynote speaker MK Amir Ohana (Likud) lauded the Czech Republic’s strong support for Israel, saying: “You, the Czech people, are some of our dearest, closest friends. Thank you!” Zbynek Passer, president of the Czech Friends of Israel Association, said the conference is a platform to “reinforce the strong and close relationship between the Czech Republic and Israel, as well as the exceptionally warm support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people, especially at this critical time.”The conference seeks to inform the Czech audience of current foreign policy and strategic challenges faced by the State of Israel, including security threats, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, BDS, antisemitism and how to increase support for Israel in Europe.The event was hosted under the auspices of Czech politician Pavel Sramek, with the support of the Israeli Embassy, the Israeli- Jewish Congress and the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic.