Mosab Hassan Yousef, known as the son of Hamas’s co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, held a historic speech at the United Nations this week in which he stressed: ‘If Israel fails in Gaza, the rest of the world will be next’. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also highlighted in a Fox News interview that if Israel ‘doesn’t win now, then Europe is next’.
Can Netanyahu survive as prime minister in the wake of the Hamas attack? Are Jews really safer in Israel today than in the Diaspora? Hard questions that need to be asked.
Meanwhile, PM Orbán of Hungary offered his moral support for Israel, writing ‘our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Israel in these dark hours’.
The Hungarian Jewish leaders and the Israeli Prime Minister discussed issues of Jewish communal life in Hungary and the events that may accompany the possible relocation of the Hungarian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. With the potential move of the Hungarian mission to Jerusalem Hungary would become the first EU country to recognize that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.
According to Aaron Davis Miller, Americans might soon stop seeing US–Israeli ties as a special relationship.
Hananya Naftali stressed that today Hungary is one of the safest countries in the world for Jews and Israel sees Hungary not just as a partner, but as family.
‘A stable Israeli administration under Benjamin Netanyahu and a victory of the US Republican Party in the midterm elections would be a bright and promising development for peace in the Middle East,’ said Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade, on Wednesday in Jordan.
Although Israel is stronger than ever, the permanent existential threat the Jewish State has had to endure is still present. The stakes are particularly high, both for Israel and its allies in the wider world. Benjamin Netanyahu offers known solutions to current challenges, answers that proved to be right in the past thirteen years. This November might well be the month of the return of Israel’s longest serving prime minister.
‘Washington’s unconditional support has given Israel a green light to act rashly, drawing the U.S. into unwanted military engagements.’
Hungary has risen from sixth to second place among Israeli travel destinations, driven by public safety and Budapest’s pro-Israel policies. As Israeli tourism surges and travellers favour countries seen as friendly to Israel, Hungary is expected to welcome a record number of visitors this holiday season.