Hungarian Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás recently paid a multiday visit to Israel to meet with ministers and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Besides the war in Ukraine and the Israeli judicial reform, the Hungarian minister also discussed the rumours that have been circulating in recent months that Hungary could become the first European country to move its embassy to Jerusalem.

On the first day of his visit, the Minister presented the Hungarian government’s domestic and foreign policy positions to Israeli journalists in Jerusalem, after meeting with the Israeli government’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli. The Hungarian minister held talks with former Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann and law professors. The Hungarian minister was also received by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is the first official meeting between the Israeli PM, who formed his government in December, and a senior Hungarian government official.

War in Ukraine

Answering press questions, Gergely Gulyás said that the Hungarian government shares Europe’s view that Russia has perpetrated aggression against Ukraine in violation of international law.

He underlined Hungary’s extraordinary efforts to help Ukrainian refugees and Hungary’s humanitarian and financial support to Ukraine but stressed the need for peace and a ceasefire because there is no guarantee that Ukraine can achieve more in the war than in peace talks.

The minister described Hungary’s dependence on Russian natural gas as a burden of the communist era and underlined that the current government had made significant efforts to change this.

There are several similarities between Hungarian and Israeli foreign policy on the war. Like Hungary, Israel firmly refrains from sending arms to Ukraine, but provides substantial humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.  Israel needs the freedom to manoeuvre in Syrian airspace, partly controlled by Russia, to fend off hostile terrorist organisations. That is why, putting its own security interests first, the country does not want to end its dialogue with Russia, while continuing to support Kyiv.

Citing other similarities between the two countries, Minister Gulyás said that Hungary, like Israel, has been often criticised too harshly and isolated in its geographical region. ‘I had a very good conversation today with two members of the Israeli government, and one of them mentioned that he had the feeling that Hungary is in the same position in the EU as Israel is in the Arab world,’ said the Minister.

Zero Tolerance of Antisemitism

Asked about a recent survey made by the US Anti-Defamation League (ADL) showing that around a third of the Hungarian population holds anti-Semitic views, Gergely Gulyás questioned the credibility of the survey and said that the government stood for the principle of zero tolerance.

He drew attention to the thriving Jewish religious and cultural life in Budapest and that Jews can feel secure in Budapest, which unfortunately is almost unique in Europe. He reviewed Hungarian Jewish religious movements and their history and said that the government seeks good relations with all Jewish religious communities.

Hungarian Embassy in Jerusalem

Gergely Gulyás said that after the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem, this issue has been on the agenda in all countries, and everyone has to decide whether they will follow Washington in this matter.

‘Of course, the Hungarian government, too, but this is something that has to be decided at the prime ministerial level,’ he said.

In recent months, there have been rumours that Hungary would become the first European country to move its embassy to Jerusalem. However, in neither case has the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed this. Recently, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen spoke off the record about the issue during his visit to Hungary, saying:

'Hungary could become the first country in the European Union to announce the relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem in a few weeks’ time.’

Moving a country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem sends a significant message not only to Israel but also to the international community. It is an expression by a country of its support for Israel’s position that Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish state, contrary to the international consensus. The move would make Hungary the first EU country to open an embassy in Jerusalem, going against the bloc’s joint position. It would most likely be seen by both Israel and Hungary as a precedent-setting act, in the hope that more EU countries would follow Budapest’s example. In 2019, after President Trump’s historical decision to relocate the US embassy, Hungary opened a trade office in Jerusalem, in a gesture towards both Israel and the Republican President.

Judicial Reform

Since January, mass protests have been taking place in Israel against the government’s proposed legal reform that aims to reshape the judiciary and give more power to the government and the Israeli parliament. In March, the number of people taking to the streets across the country had peaked at 500,000. Growing tensions increase fears that Israel could fall into a serious constitutional and social crisis if the parties cannot reach a compromise.

Netanyahu has been caught in the political crossfire both at home and abroad over his government's draft legislation, facing critique from his international allies, too. In the face of rising tensions, Netanyahu has begun talks with opposition parties on the legal reform, which has led to a slight easing of protests in recent weeks.

Asked about the highly debated Israeli judicial reform, the Hungarian minister declared it is ‘an internal Israeli matter’.

The best example of how pointless it is to interfere in these debates from abroad is the obvious difference between the Hungarian and the Israeli legal systems, as Hungary has a written constitution, while Israel has no constitution at all, the minister pointed out.

According to The Jerusalem Post, a group of 25–30 protesters also appeared outside the King David Hotel where the Hungarian minister was speaking. The demonstrators said they feared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial reform plan would turn the country into an ‘authoritarian democracy’ like Hungary's. The demonstrators blew whistles, drummed and shouted into horns.

The minister defended Hungary's judiciary, arguing that no judge is allowed to be a member of a political party. In Israel, he explained, the nation is only now deciding on how to organise the balance of power, whereas in Hungary this issue is already well established.