Weekly Briefing, Vol. 67. No. 1 (CZ) November 2023
Standing with Israel: The Czech Republic and the War in Palestine
Summary
The present briefing researches the Czech Republic’s position in the new round of war in Palestine. It shows that Prague’s stance is marginal within the international community. The analysis pays attention to the reaction to the attack on Israel carried out by Hamas inclusive of a discussion about the possible moving of the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the concurrent expulsion of Palestine’s diplomatic mission in Prague. The briefing inquires into the Czech actions in the EU and UN and argues that the extreme position adopted by the Czech administration pushes the country to the periphery of the international community and undermines pragmatic cooperation with many countries. Not by coincidence, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria have recently cancelled high-level political visits from the Czech Republic.
Introduction
The Czech Republic has adopted an unambiguous stance on the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, expressing full support for Israel. The country’s position follows its long-term policy, building on traditionally close relations between the Czech (Czechoslovak) and Israeli sides. The ongoing conflict has even strengthened the support for Tel Aviv, which pushes Prague farther from the European mainstream. At the same time, this stance is shared by some other actors in the CEE region such as Austria or Hungary. One can therefore speak about a peculiar Central European perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian question which is indeed marginal within the context of the entire international community.
Political support for Israel
The unexpected and violent attack carried out by Hamas against Israel on October 7 shocked both the Czech politicians and the public. The subsequent reaction was immediate and unambiguous. Both politicians and public figures condemned Hamas’ actions and vocalised unconditional support for Israel, its right to self-defence and its prospective military operation in the Gaza Strip to suppress the Palestinian organisation there. It is worth noticing that this clear position united both the government, that is, liberal parties and the parliamentary opposition alike. The events in Palestine revived and reinvigorated a debate about moving the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. On October 10, the Chamber of Deputies passed a resolution denouncing the “aggression of the terrorist movement Hamas”, expressing support to and solidarity with Israel and its military countermeasures as well as calling for the government to move the embassy to Jerusalem in a suitable time. The resolution was initiated by members of the Czech Republic–Israel Interparliamentary Friendship Group and approved by all present deputies with no single vote against such a resolution. A representative of the group from the government Christian and Democratic Union–Czechoslovak People’s Party (KDU-ČSL) declared that the fight against Hamas was a struggle for humanity while a representative from the opposition ANO movement put forward an idea of abolition of the Palestinian embassy in Prague.
The question of moving the Czech embassy to Jerusalem has been present in the political discourse for a long time. In the past, President Miloš Zeman was the most influential advocate of such a step. In response to the Palestinian attack against Israel, the plan was backed by the prime minister as well as other high-level representatives of the ruling coalition including the Speaker of the lower chamber Markéta Pekarová Adamová and leaders of the KDU-ČSL. Pekarová Adamová declared that Prague recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital de facto. In contrast, the Pirates and Mayors and Independents (STAN) adopted a moderate stance. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský highlighted that the decision was not on the agenda at present. The head of Czech diplomacy argues that such a step would be in breach of both international law and common EU position, which is undesirable. On the contrary, both parliamentary opposition parties, that is, ANO and SPD are in favour of moving the embassy. The position of ANO was, nevertheless, ambiguous in the past. The then Prime Minister Andrej Babiš opposed this idea pursued by Miloš Zeman in 2017 referring to the position of the Czech Republic as a “small country” which needed peace and cooperation for its development. Babiš changed his mind repeatedly in this regard since then.[1] Even though the Czech Republic has its diplomatic office in Jerusalem, the relocation of the embassy remains improbable at this moment and Prague will likely not join the U.S., Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo and Papua New Guinea which have their embassies in Jerusalem.
The most common attitude among Czech politicians can be demonstrated in the statement issued by President Petr Pavel. The highest constitutional representative declared that the terrorist attack against Israel would suspend the peace process and result in an Israeli counterattack which would be legitimate and rightful.[2] It has become commonplace to call for a suspension of EU financial assistance to the Palestinians. It can be shown in the leader of the opposition and former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’ reaction whereby he implicitly declared that the Western support for Palestine had caused the recent assault on Israel.[3] The incumbent prime minister, in turn, interpreted the events as an attack on humanity and “our civilisation”, which made unconditional support for Israel imperative. That is why the Czech Republic wants to be the “voice of Israel in Europe”, supporting the country at different levels and platforms starting from the UN and ending with the EU. Petr Fiala admitted that Israel had only a few friends across the world. From his perspective, the Czech Republic must belong to them to combat terrorism and anti-Semitism worldwide.[4]
However, such an interpretation fails to differentiate between anti-Semitism on the one hand and well-founded criticism of Israel, inclusive of Tel Aviv’s repeated violations of international law and undermining of liberal democracy by radical elements within the government, on the other. The official discourse delegitimises critical evaluation of problematic and controversial practices of Israeli actors, making the search for a balanced and centrist position hardly possible. The same one-sided position is typical of the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies. In his recent article, Marek Ženíšek interprets the conflict through the prism of a clash between freedom (Israel) and crime (Hamas) and compares Hamas to Russia in their alleged efforts to destroy their neighbour nations, that is, Israelis and Ukrainians.[5] Needless to say, such extreme positions push the Czech Republic to the periphery of the international community and undermine normal pragmatic cooperation with many countries.
Historical and present ties
The attack on Israel thwarted the joint session of the Czech and Israeli governments which was to be held with Benjamin Netanyahu’s participation in Prague on October 9. Netanyahu was to hold talks with President Pavel and representatives of both chambers of the Parliament. Only a day later, the Czech foreign minister arrived in Tel Aviv as the first foreign political representative after the events from October 7. Jan Lipavský expressed full support to Israel, denounced the “hideous terrorist acts” and interpreted the assault on the part of Hamas in terms of an attack against world democracies. This conceptualisation, therefore, links the conflict to the controversial discourse of a global clash between democracies and autocracies. The foreign minister met his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen as well as President Isaac Herzog. The Israeli side appreciated Prague’s position and drew a parallel between the present and the pioneering support from 1948 when Communist Czechoslovakia supplied the new state with military equipment.[6] That cooperation was, nonetheless, ended soon because it did not correspond with the interests of the Soviet Union and the changing circumstances of the early Cold War. The head of Czech diplomacy visited Tel Aviv upon his attendance at the summit of foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union in Muscat, Oman, which took place on October 9–10. Jan Lipavský put emphasis on the need for mutual cooperation between the Gulf and European countries face to face with such enemies as Hamas and Russia.[7] As for the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the representatives of both the GCC and EU condemned attacks against civilians and called for restraint and seeking a political solution to the crisis.[8] The wording is thus more balanced than Prague’s position vocalised by Jan Lipavský.
Following the foreign minister, Prime Minister Petr Fiala paid an official visit to Israel on October 25, meeting his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog as well as officials of the local intelligence services. Fiala was accompanied by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The Czech representative reiterated Prague’s full support for Israel and recognised its right to self-defence. The visit was made before the session of the European Council in Brussels which was to discuss the conflict. Prague and Tel Aviv coordinated their positions and the former agreed to advocate the interests of the latter at the international level. Petr Fiala declared in Tel Aviv that he would insist on the EU support for Israel, condemnation of Hamas and inspection of any European assistance provided to Palestine in order to exclude the possibility of indirect supplies to Hamas. The prime minister also stressed that the Czech side was prepared to continue its support at different levels including the political and diplomatic backing and military supplies if needed.[9] Interestingly, the Czech subjects have already provided Israel with some military equipment. These include STV Group, the largest ammunition manufacturer in the country, and PBS which specialises in the production of turbine engines and auxiliary power units for aircraft. In response to the attack by Hamas, Tel Aviv turned to Prague, asking for supplies of military equipment. The Czech Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the STV Group has provided ballistic vests while other items are under consideration. Both companies are involved in military supplies to Ukraine inclusive of artillery shells and heavy military equipment.[10] These are, nevertheless, unlikely to be supplied to Israel due to high military capabilities on the part of the Israeli armed forces.
Concluding his visit to Tel Aviv, Petr Fiala moved on to Brussels where the European Council was held on October 26–27. The prime minister was eventually satisfied with the results of the summit for it accepted all main points advocated by the Czech side. The European Council condemned Hamas, recognised Israel’s right to self-defence in line with international law and appealed to Hamas for the unconditional release of all hostages. Other European leaders accepted the Czech position on severe supervision over assistance provided to Palestine. At the same time, the Council emphasised the need for humanitarian corridors and pauses together with the cooperation with the Palestinian Authority represented by Fatah, insisting on the concept of a two-state solution.[11] The prime minister’s priority at the summit was the clause regarding the legitimacy of Israel’s self-defence, control of assistance to the Palestinian side, release of hostages and the humanitarian pauses.[12] Nevertheless, the final results of the European Council only followed the initial stance presented on October 15 when the members of the European Council condemned Hamas, recognised Israel’s right to self-defence, called for the protection of civilians and release of all hostages, highlighted the need for prevention of possible misuse of Western supplies to Palestine by Hamas and claimed allegiance to the two-state solution.[13] The strong emphasis put on the October 26 session of the Council by both the Czech and Israeli sides indicates that they have been afraid of negative and controversial consequences of Tel Aviv’s military operation in the Gaza Strip which has been provoking anti-Israeli moods throughout the world, especially in non-Western countries. Indeed, even a NATO member state, namely Türkiye, has radicalised its rhetoric and depicts Israel as a “terror state” which is committing war crimes and violating international law.[14]
Despite the agreement at the European Council, the interpretation of the events varies in individual EU countries in fact. The same applies to the very societies which are divided in their stance on Israel and Palestine and in many countries are there mass protests against Israel and its military operation against the Palestinians. Interestingly, Israel has found allies among illiberal actors in European liberal democracies starting from Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Georgia Meloni in Italy and ending with Marine Le Pen in France and Tomio Okamura in the Czech Republic. This position is undoubtedly interrelated with such notions as Islamism and migration due to which Palestine tends to be seen as a part of the “noncivilised world” posing a threat to Christianity and Europe. These motives can be identified among liberal democratic elites as well, even though in a more implicit and modified (“liberalised”) way where the dichotomy “Christianity versus Islamism” and “civilisation versus barbarism” are replaced by that of “freedom/democracy and dictatorship/authoritarianism”. Nevertheless, they overlap with each other to a certain extent.
Prague and the United Nations
In this context, the Czech Republic became one of a mere 14 countries which voted against a Jordanian resolution on the protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations adopted by the UN General Assembly on October 27. Prague thus joined the U.S., Austria, Croatia, Fiji, Guatemala, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga in opposing the resolution backed by 120 other countries. The Czech Foreign Ministry criticised that the resolution did not condemn the Hamas’ attack, did not call for the release of hostages, did not recognise Israel’s right to self-defence and did not address the need for the prevention of misuse of humanitarian assistance by Hamas.[15] Overall, the resolution embodies a balanced position which is widely consensual. One can argue that the main reason for the Czech rejection lies in the fact that the document calls Israel an “occupying power”.[16] Interestingly, the Czech Republic has adopted a dissenting and radical stance on Israel and Palestine repeatedly. For instance, Prague was the only EU country which voted against granting Palestine observer status in the UN in 2012.
The adoption of the abovementioned resolution and the existence of a broad international consensus on the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians which goes against the position of the Czech Republic provoked emotional reactions among the high-level politicians. Minister of Defence Jana Černochová declared that she was ashamed of the United Nations and called for the withdrawal from this multilateral organisation because the latter allegedly supported terrorists and did not respect the fundamental right to self-defence. In the following discussion, the defence minister argued that the U.N. did not contribute to peace and helped “Putinists”, “terrorists”, “anti-Semites” and “dictators”. From her point of view, the U.N. is dysfunctional and in need of substantial reform in order to eliminate the role and voice of “non-democratic” countries and their leaders. She attacked Afghanistan, China, Iran, Mauritania, North Korea, Russia and Syria by name and concluded that a new, modern organisation must be established instead of the United Nations. The actual reason for her expressive statements can be found in her argument that the organisation does not support a country which “is protecting the ass of our Western civilisation”. These vulgar and undiplomatic statements were preceded by Jana Černochová’s participation in an action which disturbed a legal manifestation in support of Palestine in the centre of Prague on October 15. During the event, the defence minister protested against the participants carrying the Israeli flag.[17]
Her behaviour, nevertheless, was widely criticised despite some voices in her favour. President Petr Pavel agreed on the need for a reform of the U.N. but insisted on an active engagement in such a process from within. Prime Minister Petr Fiala expressed understanding towards Černochová’s indignation and the reasons for the statements but highlighted that it was important for the country to advocate its positions in the U.N. The same attitude was adopted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský who refused to deal with his colleague’s appeal to the government for the withdrawal from the global organisation. Overall, the statement was supported especially by representatives of ODS, KDU-ČSL and STAN. Interestingly, the defence minister addressed the U.N. again when criticising that Iran was about to assume the presidency over the U.N. Human Rights Council. However, she was mistaken because Iran was only to chair the annual Social Forum of the Human Rights Council. Moreover, the Council itself has been headed by the Czech Republic so the minister’s failure is very striking. Her statements were refused by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In response, the parliamentary opposition called for Černochová’s resignation, referring to the damages caused to the country by her behaviour.[18] The long-term absence of restraint on the part of the incumbent Czech defence minister can also be demonstrated in her statement made in November last year in connection with an incident in Poland whose territory was hit by missiles. Jana Černochová immediately accused Russia of escalating the conflict and called for a counteraction.[19] It turned out eventually that the missiles were fired by Kiev.
Conclusion
The government’s decided position on the ongoing conflict paired with the abovementioned statements and other actions such as the prime minister’s and minister of industry and trade’s participation in a pro-Israel demonstration have had tangible negative impacts on the country. On October 4–6, Minister of Industry Jozef Síkela was to pay a visit to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to negotiate prospective supplies of raw materials instead of those from Russia which are of strategic importance to the Czech Republic. However, the visit was postponed indefinitely by Al Riyadh. Even though the official explanation provided by the Czech authorities refers to security concerns, unofficial diplomatic sources confirmed that the cancellation had been caused by the inappropriate behaviour of the Czech ministers.[20] Similarly, Nigeria cancelled the invitation for Prime Minister Petr Fiala who was to visit the country during his trip to several African countries in November. According to unofficial sources, it was a reaction to Prague’s uncritical support for Tel Aviv in the U.N. Experts largely admit that such a decision on the part of Abuja sent a strong signal to the Czech Republic and that these cases of diplomatic incidents clearly indicate that Prague should be more pragmatic and moderate, showing more respect to the attitudes and interests of non-Western countries.[21]
[1] Kopecký, J. (2023, October 10). Poslanci chtějí ambasádu v Jeruzalémě. Není to teď na místě, říká prezident. iDNES.cz. https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/snemovna-teror-izrael-ucteni-pamatky-obeti-rezoluce-hamas-velvyslanectvi-jeruzalem.A231010_053908_domaci_kop. „Nyní je to žádoucí.“ Fiala podpořil přesun české ambasády do Jeruzaléma (2023, October 9). iDNES.cz. https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/petr-fiala-izrael-velvyslanectvi-presun-do-jeruzalema-tel-aviv-diplomacie-lipavsky.A231009_171421_domaci_kurl. Machová, D. (2023, October 9). Hnutí ANO vždy podporovalo přesun ambasády do Jeruzaléma, tvrdí Havlíček. Babiš byl přitom dřív proti. Forum24. https://www.forum24.cz/hnuti-ano-vzdy-podporovalo-presun-ambasady-do-jeruzalema-tvrdi-havlicek-babis-byl-pritom-driv-proti
[2] Vyjádření prezidenta republiky Petra Pavla k situaci v Izraeli (2023, October 7). Pražský hrad. https://www.hrad.cz/cs/pro-media/tiskove-zpravy/aktualni-tiskove-zpravy/vyjadreni-prezidenta-pavla-k-situaci-v-izraeli-17403
[3] Čeští politici odsoudili útoky na Izrael, Netanjahu do Prahy nepřijede (2023, October 7). ČTK. https://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/2423089
[4] Projev premiéra Fialy na veřejném shromáždění Společně pro Izrael (2023, November 1). Vláda České republiky. https://www.vlada.cz/cz/media-centrum/aktualne/projev-premiera-fialy-na-verejnem-shromazdeni-spolecne-pro-izrael-209628/
[5] Ženíšek, M. (2023, November 9). Válka v Izraeli je válka proti teroru, který nemá obdoby. Jde o boj o přežití. Forum24. https://www.forum24.cz/valka-v-izraeli-je-valka-proti-teroru-ktery-nema-obdoby-jde-o-boj-o-preziti
[6] Šídlová, T. (2023, October 10). „Jste tu první, jako v roce 1948.“ Lipavský navštívil Izrael, domů veze 34 Čechů. Seznam Zprávy. https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-jste-tu-prvni-jako-v-roce-1948-lipavsky-navstivil-izrael-mluvil-s-obetmi-teroru-238119
[7] Ministr Jan Lipavský jednal se státy Zálivu o podpoře Izraele (2023, October 10). Ministerstvo zahraničních věcí České republiky. https://www.mzv.cz/jnp/cz/udalosti_a_media/tiskove_zpravy/ministr_jan_lipavsky_jednal_se_staty.html
[8] Co-Chairs’ Statement of the 27th GCC-EU Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting (2023, October 10). European Council. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/10/10/co-chairs-statement-of-the-27th-gcc-eu-joint-council-and-ministerial-meeting/
[9] Premiér Fiala jednal v Izraeli s premiérem Netanjahuem a prezidentem Herzogem (2023, October 25). Vláda České republiky. https://www.vlada.cz/cz/media-centrum/aktualne/premier-fiala-jednal-v-izraeli-s-premierem-netanjahuem-a-prezidentem-herzogem-209437/
[10] STV GROUP a PBS Velká Bíteš: Výrobky světové kvality, které pomáhají Ukrajině i Izraeli (2023, October 20). Ministerstvo obrany. https://mocr.army.cz/informacni-servis/zpravodajstvi/stv-group-a-pbs-velka-bites:-vyrobky-svetove-kvality–ktere-pomahaji-ukrajine-i-izraeli-247024/
[11] European Council, 26-27 October 2023 (2023, October 30). European Council. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2023/10/26-27/
[12] Evropská rada díky premiérovi Petru Fialovi uznala právo Izraele na sebeobranu (2023, October 27). Vláda České republiky. https://www.vlada.cz/cz/media-centrum/aktualne/evropska-rada-diky-premierovi-petru-fialovi-uznala-pravo-izraele-na-sebeobranu-209528/
[13] Statement of the Members of the European Council on the situation in the Middle East (2023, October 15). European Council. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/10/15/statement-agreed-by-the-27-members-of-the-european-council-on-the-situation-in-the-middle-east/
[14] Hayatsever, H., Gumrukcu, T. (2023, November 15). Turkey’s Erdogan labels Israel a ‘terror state’, slams its backers in West. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-erdogan-calls-israel-terror-state-slams-west-2023-11-15/
[15] Bauer, V. (2023, October 28). Česko hlasovalo proti rezoluci vyzývající k příměří na Blízkém východě. Novinky.cz. https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/zahranicni-blizky-a-stredni-vychod-cesko-hlasovalo-proti-rezoluci-vyzyvajici-k-primeri-na-blizkem-vychode-40448652
[16] UN General Assembly adopts Gaza resolution calling for immediate and sustained ‘humanitarian truce’ (2023, October 26). United Nations. https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142847?reload12
[17] Koutník, O. (2023, October 29). Černochová proti OSN. Odborníky nadzvedla, kolega v koalici ji chápe. Seznam Zprávy. https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-politika-cernochova-proti-osn-odborniky-nadzvedla-kolega-v-koalici-ji-chape-239046
[18] Gavenda, J. (2023, October 31). Fiala by měl Černochovou odvolat, zní z opozice kvůli výrokům o OSN. Seznam Zprávy. https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-politika-fiala-by-mel-cernochovou-odvolat-zni-z-opozice-kvuli-vyrokum-o-osn-239110
[19] Černochová: Ruský útok na Polsko nesmí zůstat bez odezvy (2022, November 15). Novinky.cz. https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/domaci-cernochova-rusky-utok-na-polsko-nesmi-zustat-bez-odezvy-40414684
[20] Koutník, O. (2023, November 3). Saúdové zrušili jednání se Síkelou. Dráždily i nedávné kroky českých politiků. Seznam Zprávy. https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-politika-saudove-zrusili-jednani-se-sikelou-drazdily-i-nedavne-kroky-ceskych-politiku-239322
[21] Silné a nestandardní gesto. Nigerijské zrušení Fialovy návštěvy vzájemné vztahy ale nezhorší, míní analytik (2023, November 7). iROZHLAS. https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-domov/nigerie-fiala-navsteva-izrael_2311071608_mst