Kristina VankovaCzech President Petr Pavel, along with other Czech politicians, has expressed support for Israel’s right to self-defense in response to attacks from Hamas. President Pavel emphasized that the rocket attacks and infiltration by Hamas commandos into Israel would hinder any peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for a long time. He stated that such aggressive actions would inevitably lead to a strong and justified response from Israel, resulting in many casualties. Pavel believes that the path to resolving the issue lies in negotiations characterized by a significant amount of goodwill.
Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates) communicated with his Israeli counterpart over the weekend, affirming that the Czech Republic fully supports Israel and its right to self-defense. This stance was also reiterated within the European Union. MEP Jan Zahradil, a member of the ruling ODS (ECR) party, called for a reduction in European support for the Palestinians, pushing for this in the European Parliament. He expressed that it is unacceptable to spread hatred towards Israel using European funds.
EU funding for Palestine, which amounts to up to €1.177 billion from 2021 to 2024, is provided in various capacities. MEP Mikuláš Peksa (Pirates, Greens) argued that EU aid is not directed at terrorists, clarifying that the European Union sends economic aid to the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank. He emphasized that the Gaza Strip is under the control of Hamas, and the EU is supporting the moderate part of the Palestinians to prevent economic and radicalization issues.
The Czech Republic has long-standing partnerships with Israel and maintains very good relations with the Jewish state. A joint meeting between the Czech and Israeli governments was scheduled to take place in Prague on Monday but was canceled due to the current situation.
For more detailed information, you can read the original article on Prague Morning.
