National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir plans to represent the government at the European Union Embassy’s Europe Day celebration on Tuesday, despite clear signals that the far-right politician is unwanted.
Cabinet ministers take turns attending various embassies’ events and giving speeches, and Europe Day is Ben-Gvir’s turn on the schedule prepared by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Upon hearing who was assigned to their party, the European Union asked the Foreign Ministry to replace him. European ambassadors have refused to meet with Ben-Gvir or members of his party, because of their far-right stances.
The EU Embassy stated that “as it does every year, it has asked the Government of Israel to honor us by sending a representative of the government to attend our event. We have not yet received a formal notice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard.
“We do not endorse the political views of Minister Ben-Gvir or those of his party. In fact, many of his previous statements and views contradict the values the European Union stands for,” the embassy spokesperson stated on Saturday.
European Commission President Urusla von der Leyen delivers state of the European Union address to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, September 14, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/YVES HERMAN)Ben-Gvir’s office said the following morning that the minister will attend in spite of the statement from the EU.
“The minister believes that even if EU representatives ‘do not endorse [his] political views,’ as they said in their statement, they understand very well that Israel is a democracy, and in a democracy, one can hear different views,” Ben-Gvir’s spokesman said.
Ben Gvir to address terrorism
In his speech at the Europe Day party, the minister plans to address the importance of fighting terrorism together, to call for greater cooperation and unity on that front and to say European governments should not fund initiatives that are “against IDF soldiers and residents of Israel.”
The Europe Day debacle comes the week after Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Brussels and announced “a new page” in Israel-EU relations, including a high-level meeting in Jerusalem meant to strengthen ties.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, a former foreign minister, said that “sending Itamar Ben-Gvir to a gathering of EU ambassadors is a severe professional mistake.
“The government is putting a large group of friendly states, endangering future votes in international institutions and damages our foreign relations,” Lapid said.
Lapid said Ben-Gvir’s actions risk agreements between Israel and the EU that would boost Israel’s economy.
“Why should we endanger that? Ben-Gvir is not a legitimate person in the international community – and not really in Israel either – and sometimes you need be smart and right and just send someone else,” he said.
The Europe Day debacle comes the week after Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Brussels and announced “a new page” in Israel-EU relations, including a high-level meeting in Jerusalem meant to strengthen ties.
Ben-Gvir is an acolyte of the ideology of Rabbi Meir Kahane, who believed in paying Arabs to leave Israel, among other things, and served one term in the Knesset before being banned for running due to incitement to racism. Ben-Gvir was a member of the Kahane-inspired Kach movement, which was designated as a terrorist group by Israel, the US, the EU and others. In recent years, he claimed his views are more moderate than Kahane’s – for example, he would only want to deport Arabs who hate Israel – but he is still the most prominent symbol of the Israeli far right.
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