President Isaac Herzog of Israel visited Budapest, Hungary on Tuesday, 18 February. He met with both Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Tamás Sulyok of Hungary.
Hungary has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters since the 7 October attack by the Islamist terror group Hamas on the Jewish state. Back in November 2023 then-President Katalin Novák went to Israel for a ‘solidarity visit’. There, she held talks with President Herzog, who has been serving in office since 2021.
President Herzog talked with Prime Minister Orbán about the changing world order and the aspirations for stability and peace in the Middle East over lunch, the Hungarian state news agency MTI informed. However, PM Orbán has not posted to his official social media accounts about their meeting.
President Herzog, on the other hand, shared pictures of his visit to the Holocaust monument at the bank of the Danube River in Budapest. On the Danube bank, statues of empty shoes commemorate the Jewish men and women who were shot into the river by soldiers of the German puppet government of Hungary during World War II.
In his post, President Herzog also mentions the book When the Danube Ran Red by Hungarian author and Holocaust survivor Zsuzsanna Ozsváth about these horrific events.
The Israeli head of state has also met with his Hungarian counterpart, Tamás Sulyok. President Sulyok received him in the presidential residence, the Sándor Palace in the famous Castle District of Budapest.
After their meeting, President Sulyok reiterated Hungary’s commitment to a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards antisemitism; and stressed that it is crucial that Jewish communities in Hungary feel safe and secure, especially given the rise in antisemitism in Western Europe.
‘I am convinced that a strong Israel is essential not only for the security of the Middle East, but also for the security of Europe, for the protection of European Jewry, and for the fight against antisemitism,’ the President of Hungary went on to say.
He also stressed that he firmly believes in Israel’s right to self-defence, and that he hopes that the friendly relations between Israel and Hungary will remain so for a long time. He also pointed out the great cooperation between the two countries on issues such as defence, research and development, education, and culture.
Meanwhile, President Herzog took the opportunity at the joint press conference to thank Hungary for the support it has shown to his nation in the last year and a half, since the dreaded 7 October attacks.
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