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Israeli Foreign Minister Discusses Gaza and Supporting Christians during Budapest Visit

MTI-Hungary Today 2025.01.23.
L-R: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó talked about the Gaza ceasefire and supporting Christians in the Middle East. He recalled that both United Nations (UN) and EU forums are extremely hostile towards Israel, which shows modern-day anti-Semitism.

Hungary has an important interest in the full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage agreement, which will significantly improve the security situation in the whole world, including Europe, Péter Szijjártó said in Budapest on Thursday. The Hungarian Minister praised the wisdom and commitment of the Israeli government, stressing that the decision was extremely difficult to make. He underlined that it was in Hungary’s clear interest that the ceasefire agreement should work and be fully implemented. It was also important because

the completion of the first phase would be a precondition for the second phase of negotiations, which would hopefully also bring the release of the Hungarian hostage still held by Hamas.

“For the security of Europe and Hungary, for our commitment to peace and for our Christian foundations, it is in our interest that this ceasefire should work in its entirety and bring us closer to a lasting and sustainable peace in the Middle East, which will restore the rights of the people living there, including the citizens of Israel, to a peaceful, secure and dignified life,” Szijjártó stressed.

He recalled the Abraham Accords, negotiated under Trump’s first presidency which until then no one thought possible. “Therefore, we sincerely hope that Donald Trump’s presidency will now contribute to a return to peace, calm, and stability in the Middle East,” the Foreign Minister emphasized.

He then went on to say that Hungary, as a country with a thousand years of Christian statehood, feels a special responsibility towards Christians worldwide and supports the Middle East communities accordingly.

We hope that Israel’s ceasefire with Lebanon can be sustained. And we agree with my colleague that in Syria, too, special attention must be paid to ensure that there is no persecution of any kind against religious communities,”

he said.

Finally, the minister complained that in recent times, both in United Nations (UN) and EU forums, an extremely hostile, unbalanced, and biased approach towards Israel has prevailed, which he said Hungary has always fought against with its weight and its means. “The last time we voted no in the UN was also when Israel was to be subjected to further harassment in the international court system, which lost credibility and seriousness when it issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli Prime Minister,” he said. Szijjártó added:

This is part of an alarming trend that is unfortunately also appearing in the form of a kind of modern-day anti-Semitism on the European continent, partly as a consequence of mass illegal migration.”

He emphasized that Hungary opposes all forms of anti-Semitism.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that Hungary is one of the states in the international community that is aware of the difference between right and wrong. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary is a close friend and even an important ally of Israel. I appreciate the support of the Hungarian government in the international arena, especially in the European Union and the United Nations,” he stated.

“As Europe and the Middle East face enormous challenges, Israel and Hungary have an important role to play. It is an alliance of two proud, free, independent and sovereign countries,” the Israeli politician underlined.

Gaza Ceasefire "Great News", Says Foreign Minister
Gaza Ceasefire

A fragile ceasefire is currently in place between Hamas and Israel.Continue reading

Via MTI, Featured photo via MTI/Kocsis Zoltán


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