Highly respected experts, such as former Constitutional Court Justice István Stumpf, Gadi Taub, Senior Lecturer at the Federmann School of public policy from Israel, and James Allen of the University of Queensland in Australia, shared their views on the controversial concept of ‘rule of law’. Their lectures were followed by a discussion between State Secretary for European Affairs János Bóka and Ákos Bence Gát, head of foreign affairs at the Danube Institute.

During his joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, Péter Szijjártó said the cooperation between the two countries has always been characterized by mutual respect. Hungary has always supported the right of the Jewish state to self-defence and to guaranteeing its security, the minister nailed down.

‘Historically, wars are coups d’états in the interior of the political process. It’s usually invisible to outsiders and it usually doesn’t respond to outside activity. The war in Ukraine started with people who are non-historians reading the history of Russia, the way a non-historian is looking for something relevant today. So, whenever they think that they have some historical information, it’s always misinformation because it gets taken out of context.’

The successful American talk show host spoke at an event at the Danube Institute. He covered a whole slew of topics, including Trump vs DeSantis in next year’s Republican primary, why he left his left-wing politics behind, and Hungary’s child protection law.

Today, confirmed anti-Semites may be the ‘great friends of the Jews’, but members and sympathisers of the government that proclaims ‘zero tolerance’ regarding anti-Semitism at all international and domestic fora, and which unequivocally stands by and up for Israel, can be labelled as the ‘new anti-Semites’. Israelis cannot invoke the Holocaust as an argument of her legitimacy and a historical event of her people, because the ‘new Jews’ are Palestinians and migrants. Now ‘Nazi’ apparently denotes a right-wing Jew in some circles, while Nazis seem to be the ‘guests of honour’ at seder tables.

One hundred fifty-five people from Hungary travelled to Poland to attend the International March of the Living on 18 April, where nearly 10,000 participants from 54 countries marched the 3 km route between the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau lagers. The march was held on Yom HaShoah, which is Israel’s National Day of Mourning for the victims of the Holocaust.

Netanyahu must not retreat any further, as abandoning his right-wing agenda would threaten the stability of the coalition. Judicial reform in Israel is in fact the last salvation of Israeli democracy, of the rule of the people. Kim Lane Scheppele probably understands this very well—hence her recent attacks on Israel.

The Hungarians in the crowd did not allow the protesters to ruin the unveiling, instead they started to loudly sing a Hungarian folk song and the national anthem of Hungary, thus, drowning out the voice of the few protesters.

US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman caused quite an outrage with his recent decision to invite Jobbik president Márton Gyöngyösi to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Pesach at his residence. Gyöngyösi called for the creation of a list of Hungarian politicians of Jewish ancestry some years ago.

David Curry has been the CEO of the most well-known international ministry, Open Doors USA, for ten years. The organisation recently changed its name to Global Christian Relief to achieve better cooperation between Christian denominations and NGO networks, and thus to help persecuted Christians more efficiently.

While Europe desperately needs new partners to wean itself off Russian gas, by becoming an energy exporter, Israel could reduce its isolation and thaw its icy relations with the EU—something that is even more valuable than export revenues for Jerusalem.

The research conducted by the Danube Institute contradicts the image of an anti-Semitic Hungary painted by many Western mainstream media outlets. Thanks to the government’s zero tolerance policy, public anti-Semitic expressions are no longer tolerated and Jewish people can freely walk in the streets and worship in synagogues without having to rely on heavy security presence.

The step would make Hungary the first EU country to move its embassy to Jerusalem, which may set a precedent and other EU countries could follow suit, in the face of disapproval by Brussels.

‘Perhaps the Hungarians are the only nation in Europe able to feel and understand what we in Israel go through when we are exposed to unceasing criticism, while upholding Middle East’s only liberal democracy.’

‘After Israel left Gaza, I was hoping that they would take what we left there, and turn that area into a paradise. It could have been the Singapore of the Middle East with beautiful beaches. We left many hothouses and other buildings, and they destroyed it all. They took the pipes left from the irrigation, turned them into rockets, and launched them back at us.’

‘For their political opponents conservative governments are most dangerous when they are successful,’ warns Balázs Orbán, Political Director to the Prime Minister of Hungary. Thus, he adds, the Netanyahu cabinet must be ready for constant attacks by the mainstream media.

Fauda is a brave series as it dares to portray both Jewish and Palestinian characters as human beings. Israeli military personnel and Arab terrorists, often dehumanised through the headlines of international papers, here have names, backgrounds, families, feelings, and love interests (occasionally with one another).

Linda Thomas-Greenfield claimed a Holocaust memorial was vandalised in Hungary, when in fact the incident took place in Sweden. No public apology was issued on her behalf, which the Hungarian Foreign Ministry calls ‘outrageous’.

Since the beginning of the war, the Israeli government has consistently resisted pressure both the United States and Ukraine to supply arms to the beleaguered country, facing criticism as a consequence at home and abroad.

At their meeting earlier this week, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli and Hungarian State Secretary Miklós Soltész concurred that anti-Israel attitudes have evolved into a new variety of antisemitism, and they demand particular consideration on a global scale.

Naftali Bennett made shocking claims about his derailed mediation efforts in the Ukraine conflict in a five-hour interview, uploaded to his own YouTube channel.

‘The Hungarian population strongly supports the State of Israel, an unambiguously national-religious state like Hungary, which believes in innovation, a strong military and the ability to jointly maintain the existing international structure.’

Ideologies offer a simplified, one-dimensional view of the world. In reality, international relations are determined by a multitude of complex factors, and are often based on pragmatic considerations.

‘I have been asked several times by foreigners whether there is systemic anti-Semitism in Hungary. My answer was clearly no. In fact, as a Hungarian Jew, I feel much safer here than in other parts of the world.’

The participants of the 2022 Christian Media Summit caught a glimpse of the everyday lives of Israelis who face the constant threat of terrorist attacks with resilience and unbroken optimism.

‘It is a legitimate expectation that 2023 will be another successful year in Hungarian-Israeli relations.’

The legendary gymnast is the oldest living Olympic champion in the world today.

As one of the thirty member states that voted against the proposal, Hungary made it clear that the 75th Independence Day of the Jewish State should be celebrated and not mourned as a ‘disaster’. 

‘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.