Czech foreign minister visits Israel after receiving ‘personal invitation’

Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek will fly to Israel on Thursday (20 May) to meet with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi who sent him “a personal invitation”. 

“With this visit, I would like to express my support for our ally in these difficult days. Israel has every right to protect its citizens against ruthless terror,” Kulhánek tweeted on Wednesday.

The Czech Republic has a long history of supporting Israel, including during periods when support for the country during the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict was controversial.

Several days ago, the government, the foreign ministry, and Prague Castle, where President Miloš Zeman resides, all hoisted the Israeli flag in support of the country. Almost every political party in Czechia shares this position.

However, Czechia did not join Hungary on Tuesday in declining to support the joint declaration of the EU’s 26 other foreign ministers in calling for a truce in the Israeli-Palestinian clash. (Ondřej Plevák | EURACTIV.cz)