Hungary promised to oppose all anti-Israel steps taken by the United Nations and the European Union, particularly those that fail to designate Hamas as a terrorist group, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Tuesday.
“I would like to make it very clear here,” he said during a solidarity trip in Israel. “Hungary will continue to veto all those statements and resolutions which would be biased, unbalanced and which would not clearly recognize the fact that Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization, by Hamas, and which would not make it very clear that Israel has a right to protect herself.”
Szijjártó spoke as he visited a Petah Tikva home that had been destroyed by a Hamas rocket during the 11-day Gaza war, which ended on May 21. Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi went with him to the site, and the two men gave brief statements to the press outside the home.
Anti-Israel bias prevented many in the international community from acknowledging that Hamas was a terrorist group, Szijjártó said. It was unfortunate that there were those who, in some cases, equated Israel and Hamas, he said.
“We regret... that in many international political organizations there was no common understanding about the description of the basic situation,” Szijjártó said. “The fact that Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization was even challenged. Many times Israel and Hamas [are] considered on the same level, as if Hamas was like an NGO.”
“It was impossible for many stakeholders to speak clearly about the obvious right of Israel to protect herself,” he added.
Hungary has in the past rejected biased UN resolutions or statements by the EU and would continue to do so in the future, Szijjártó said.
It is important to strengthen Israel’s ties with the EU, he said, adding that it is unfortunate there is not majority support in Europe to convene the Israel-EU Association Council, which has not met for nine years.
What is worse is that antisemitism has spread in Western Europe, and this must be fought by all possible means, Szijjártó said.
As a sign of the strong ties with the Jewish state, he said he was proud that Israel had chosen a Hungarian company to provide 1,000 bomb shelters.
Looking to the future, it is important to advance the US-brokered Abraham Accords, under whose rubric four normalization deals were signed between Israel and Arab or Muslim states, Szijjártó said. Those deals remained intact during the Gaza war, which is a testament to their strength, he said.
Ashkenazi thanked Szijjártó for Hungary’s clear and public support during the Gaza war, known as Operation Guardian of the Walls.
“Hungary is a strong friend of Israel,” he said. “They support us as well in the international arena.”
“We want to thank you for your support,” Ashkenazi said, adding that this solidarity visit was an expression of the strong ties between the two countries.
The meeting between the two had been excellent, he said later.
“We signed an agreement to [make] progress [in] cooperation and to train guides to teach about the Holocaust at Yad Vashem,” Ashkenazi tweeted.
Ashkenazi and Szijjártó discussed mutual cooperation in health, trade and tourism, with the possibility of launching flights between the countries for vaccinated individuals, the Foreign Ministry reported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also met with Szijjártó at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.
“You are our wonderful friends of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “You have stood by our side against the cynical decision taken before the EU Council. We are grateful that we have good friends like you, and you are at the top of the list.”
Hungary is the seventh nation to have its representatives arrive in Israel to demonstrate support and solidarity since the start of Operation Guardian of the Walls, joining Greece, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the US and the UK.