Justice reform is an internal Israeli matter, said Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
On the first day of his visit to Israel, the minister presented the Hungarian government’s domestic and foreign policy positions to Israeli journalists in Jerusalem after meeting with the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli. The Hungarian minister also held talks with former Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann and law professors. He will additionally be received by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.
Gergely Gulyás said on the war in Ukraine:
the Hungarian government shares Europe’s view that Russia has committed an aggression against Ukraine in violation of international law.
He underlined Hungary’s extraordinary efforts to help Ukrainian refugees and Hungary’s humanitarian and financial support to Ukraine. However, he also stressed the need for peace and a ceasefire because there is no guarantee Ukraine can achieve more via war than by way of peace talks.
He described dependence on Russian natural gas as a legacy of the communist era, which Hungary had made significant efforts to change under the current government.
In response to questions, Gergely Gulyás analyzed the causes of tensions with Brussels and outlined Hungary’s EU policy and expectations from the federal system.
Asked about a recent survey showing that around a third of the Hungarian population hold antisemitic views,
Gergely Gulyás questioned the credibility of the survey and said that the government stood for the principle of zero tolerance.
He drew attention to the thriving Jewish religious and cultural life in Budapest and to the security Jews enjoy that is unique in Europe. He gave an overview of Hungarian Jewish religious movements and their history, adding that the government seeks good relations with all Jewish religious communities.
Gergely Gulyás said that after the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem, this issue has been on the agenda of all countries, and everyone will need to say whether they will follow Washington.
„Of course, the Hungarian government too, but this is something that has to be decided at the prime ministerial level,” he said.
As we reported, the Israeli Foreign Minister, while visiting Hungary recently, said that
„Hungary could become the first country in the European Union to announce the relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem in even the next few weeks.”
On a different topic, in response to a journalist’s question, Gulyás explained that the Hungarian parliament has not yet voted in favor of Sweden’s accession to NATO due to unjustified criticism of Hungary by the Swedish government.
„If Hungary is not considered a democracy, why do they want to join a club of which we are members?”
– the minister asked. He stressed that Swedish misconceptions can only be overcome through dialogue.
In response to a question on judicial reform in Israel, he said:
It is an internal Israeli matter.
The best example of how pointless it is to interfere in these debates from abroad is the obvious difference between the Hungarian and Israeli legal systems: Hungary has a written constitution, while Israel has no constitution at all, the minister explained.
