by Etgar Lefkowits
“Ours is a history of friendship forged in struggle and deepened in shared values,” Israel's deputy foreign minister told Czech legislators at the event.
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| Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel addresses a group of Czech lawmakers and supporters of Israel in the Czech Parliament, May 28, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of the Israeli deputy foreign minister's office. |
A group of Czech legislators marked Jerusalem Day on Wednesday with a special event in the Czech parliament in a strong show of support from one of Israel’s top European allies.
The fifth annual parliamentary event marking the reunification of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War comes amid ever-growing criticism of Israel in European capitals over the 20-month old war against Hamas in Gaza. France, Britain, Germany and Italy have demanded an immediate end to the fighting in light of the humanitarian situation in the coastal strip.
“Ours is a history of friendship forged in struggle and deepened in shared values,” Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told the legislators in a keynote address. “The bond has only grown stronger in the darkest of times—most recently following the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023. Since that day, the Czech Republic has stood by Israel in every critical arena throughout the war in international legal forums and on every diplomatic stage.”
Haskel highlighted the historic connection between the two small countries, dating back to Israel’s 1948 War of Independence when Czechoslovakia alone provided vital arms to the fledgling State of Israel.
“Your steadfast support is not forgotten,” Israel’s deputy foreign minister continued. “It will be remembered by generations of Israelis, just as my generations remember the solidarity of 1948.”
No embassy move
Three days after the Hamas-led massacre, the Czech Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the government to move the Embassy of the Czech Republic to Jerusalem in a bipartisan show of support. In keeping with E.U. foreign policy the government never made the move, and is not expected to act on the issue until after October parliamentary elections.
“The Government of the Czech Republic has the vision to move the embassy but there is no date to do it,” Czech Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and Chairman of the Czech-Israel parliamentary friendship group Jan Bartosek told JNS on Wednesday. “We know that Israel is now in a tough time so we have to speak about this step in the government,” said Bartosek, one of the organizers of the parliamentary event.
The Czech Senate is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the embassy move on Thursday; opposition to the move is being led by the chair of the foreign affairs committee.
Which E.U. country will be first?
The Czech Republic, Hungary and Argentina are among the three major countries who have expressed desire to relocate their embassy to Jerusalem, with such a move seen as likely in the next year.
“I will try to do it so that the Czech Republic is first,” said Miloslav Janulik, chairman of the Israel Allies Caucus in the Chamber of Deputies, which partnered in the parliamentary event.
“Europe is increasingly divided between those who stand with the only free democracy in the Middle East and those who are willing to capitulate to Islamic terror,” said Josh Reinstein, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Israel Allies Foundation, which operates a network of pro-Israel parliamentary caucuses across the globe. “Faith-based diplomacy is turning the tide, as those who believe in the Bible understand that their nations will be judged by how they treat Israel,” he said.
Etgar Lefkowits
Source: https://www.jns.org/czech-parliamentarians-mark-jerusalem-day-in-show-of-support-for-israel/
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