National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir harshly criticized the European Union this week after it canceled an event in Tel Aviv to prevent him from attending.
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"It's a shame that the EU, which pretends to represent democratic values and multiculturalism, behaves with undiplomatic gagging," Ben-Gvir, who heads the Otzma Yehudit ("Jewish Power") faction said.
The minister was assigned to represent the Israeli government at the EU's Europe Day event on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a radio interview Sunday that Ben-Gvir had been assigned by the government secretary to attend "not as a representative of the Otzma Yehudit party ... but to represent the government of Israel."
The EU said that it decided "to cancel the diplomatic reception, as we do not want to offer a platform to someone whose views contradict the values the European Union stands for." The remainder of the public event would take place as scheduled.
As the government's representative at the Europe Day event, Ben-Gvir would have addressed attendees.
The act of protest by the EU's delegation to Israel against Ben-Gvir, a far-Right member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, could cause a diplomatic spat between Israel and the EU.
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