Hungary's relations with Israel will not change if Israel's political leadership does, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Wednesday in an interview with Israel Hayom.
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"We respect the democratic decisions made by other countries and don't interfere with them," Szijjarto said. "So the relationship with and policy toward Israel will be identical."
According to Szijjarto, "personal ties play a role, but we will support Israel in international organizations, regardless of who is in the role [of prime minister]."
Szijjarto spoke to Israel Hayom in Jerusalem during a visit as a guest of Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. During his time in Israel, he visited a home in Petah Tikva that was hit by a rocket during Operation Guardian of the Walls and was horrified.
"The clock on the wall stopped the second the rocket hit the house. I'm lucky that I've never experienced a war. It's inconceivable that people fire rockets at areas full of a civilian population, at civilian populations," he said.
Szijjarto added that his country was unwilling to accept the European Union's formula for a ceasefire, and had vetoed it.
"The European Union needs to speak clearly about the facts. Israel was attacked by Hamas, and not in an equal manner, and Israel has a right to defend itself. None of that was mentioned in the draft of the decision, so we vetoed it," he said.
Q: Because of the step Hungary took, there are voices in the EU calling to change the rules. Are you afraid the rules will be changed?
"The operating rules of the EU are clear. They weren't written randomly, and everyone needs to respect them."
Q: In two weeks, Hungary is supposed to be hosting some of the European soccer championship matches. Will Israelis be able to attend?
"Israelis can come to watch the game because there will be special rules for ticket holders. In the broader context, we offered Israel an arrangement to let tourists in and recognize each other's vaccinations, to allow free travel for those who have been vaccinated. I understand that Israel still hasn't approved it, but I hope that soon Hungary will be one of the first countries whose citizens can come visit Israel."
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