Czech foreign minister holds talks with Israeli top officials in Jerusalem

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský on Tuesday flew to Israel for meetings with top officials after discussing support for the country with the Gulf States in Oman. Mr. Lipavsky met not only with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, but also with the president of the Jewish state, Yitzhak Herzog, in Jerusalem, assuring them of Czechia’s full support in this crisis. “Israel is one of us, the attacks and kidnappings of its citizens by Palestinian radicals are an attack on all of us," Lipavský said during the visit.

The Czech foreign minister is the first foreign official to visit Israel in the wake of Saturday’s brutal attacks by Hamas.

According to Israeli journalist Amichai Stein who reported on the visit, the Czech diplomatic chief also met with the granddaughter of an 85-year-old woman who was abducted to the Gaza Strip by Hamas radicals.