JERUSALEM—Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban starts Wednesday his first visit to Israel.
The two-day visit, which reflects the burgeoning relations between the two countries, follows last year’s visit to Hungary by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to daily Israel Hayom, unlike other European Union leaders who have visited Israel, Orban will not visit the Palestinian Authority.
On Thursday, Orban will meet with the Israeli foreign ministry Director General Yuval Rotem before beginning the official schedule of his trip, which will start with meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin.
He will later meet with Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau and visit Yad Vashem, tour the Holocaust History Museum, participate in a memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance, visit the Children’s Memorial and sign the Yad Vashem Guest Book.
Orban, whose country is a member of the European Union, is spearheading a contrarian line within the organization, which is one reason for the warming relations between Israel and Hungary. Netanyahu has thanked Orban for “Hungary’s support for Israel in international forums.”
Among EU member states, Hungary has consistently abstained rather than vote against Israel. It abstained in December in the UN General Assembly vote condemning the US for moving its embassy to Jerusalem; in May when the UN Human Rights Commission voted to establish an investigative committee into the violence along the Gaza border; and earlier this month, when the UN General Assembly condemned the Gaza violence and passed a resolution calling for protection of the Palestinian civilian population.
In late 2017, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini pushed for an EU resolution to condemn the American decision to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Mogherini attempted to pass the resolution through the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union, but Orban instructed Hungary’s representative to oppose it, essentially torpedoing the initiative.
In 2015, Orban admitted his country’s role in the Holocaust, saying many Hungarians chose “bad instead of good” in helping deport Jews to Nazi death camps.
But the Hungarian leader, who recently won his country’s general elections with a landslide, has been attacked by liberal circles in Western Europe and the United States. Among other allegations, he is accused of being anti-Semitic. Amnesty International on Monday even called for Orban to be barred from visiting Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem.
However, Rabbi Shlomo Kovesh, who manages Budapest’s Chabad House and maintains a close relationship with Orbán, said the Hungarian leader has a favorable view of Jews.
“In Hungary, there isn’t any actual physical anti-Semitism. You can be a religious Jew without concern and without having to hide your kipah,” said the rabbi. “On one hand, there is immense support here from the government for any Jewish issue, which amounts to tens of millions of euros per year. On the other, any display of anti-Semitism is immediately investigated by the police and the perpetrators are tried in court,” he added.
According to Kovesh, Netanyahu’s trip to Hungary in July 2017 had an exceedingly positive influence on Orbán and the countries’ relations.
“After that visit, Orban spoke glowingly about Israel on several occasions, and even said, ‘Israel is a positive example for Hungary,’ ” he said.
JNS contributed to this report.