Is Czechia’s view on Israel changing? Ambassador to Israel responds to criticism
How far is too far? The Czech government has historically had close ties with Israel. At different points, both the Foreign Ministry and the prime minister have expressed "unequivocal support" for the country. But is there a red line for the Foreign Ministry in its backing of the country's war aims to eliminate Hamas after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel? Speaking to the Czech Ambassador to Israel Veronika Kuchyňová Šmigolová, I asked her these and other pertinent questions.
Let's start with this: you were meant to meet with President Pavel this week, on Tuesday, was it? I just wanted to ask you from the outset, what did you share with President Pavel about the developing situation in Gaza?
“Well, there was a discussion with President Pavel where NGOs were present. I was there, our representative in Ramallah was there, the Director of the Middle East Department, and some of the president's advisors. And basically, we all shared our points of view with the president.
“The goal of the meeting was not to reach any conclusions. It was more of an informational meeting for the president. I think it was very useful for all of us.”
Every week must be a tough week to serve as ambassador to Israel, but this week especially, due to the strike on the hospital. There was an Israeli strike on Monday that killed at least 20 individuals. Of them five were reported to be journalists. The IDF’s justification was that there was a Hamas operational camera on the hospital that was targeted. It was a double-tap strike, which is considered a violation of humanitarian law, if clear intent can be shown.
Where do you draw the line? What would the Czech Foreign Ministry consider to be enough for condemnation? A lot of people in the international community are quite outraged. How do you analyze the situation?
“First, we remember how the war started, on October 7th, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel. They raped, killed, and kidnapped people. There are still 50 hostages in the dungeons of Gaza. This is the reason the war continues. This is the situation Hamas can change by releasing the hostages and laying down arms. That’s the starting point for the Czech government.
“As for specific strikes or situations, of course, it's war in an urban area. In such cases, it’s always difficult to completely avoid civilian casualties. But the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are trying to do their best.
“When an incident happens, as almost inevitably happens, they investigate and publish their conclusions. In this case, the preliminary conclusion was that a mistake was made. The [Israeli] prime minister apologized and expressed deep regret over the loss of civilian lives, and the investigation is ongoing. Of course, we're not happy; we're sorry civilians are dying.
“We see no point in criticizing Israel when they very quickly investigate and apologize. I don’t know what else or what more could be expected of a military of a democratic state to do when they make a tragic mistake.”
But the international community holds a standard, not to target hospitals. If that’s not considered a red line, then what would be? Would this incident deserve condemnation from the Czech Foreign Ministry?
“We also know that hospitals in Gaza have often served as Hamas strongholds, as places where the Hamas leadership meets, and even where some hostages have been held. So in those cases, it’s difficult to view a hospital as solely a medical facility.
“If a camera used by Hamas is on a hospital, it makes sense that it could be targeted. So I don’t see a reason to condemn the strike on a camera.”
It was a double-tap strike.
“The fact that civilians died during the first or second strike, that's exactly what we were discussing. I’m not a military expert, and I don’t think the Czech government wants to follow every step of every allied military to approve or condemn each action.”
When it comes to the rules of war, I wanted to ask you about the Czech Foreign Ministry’s take on the Geneva Convention? Many, even mainstream observers, not just progressives, have raised valid concerns about whether everything is being done in Gaza to protect the sanctity of life and also the rules of war. How would you answer that?
“I would go back to what I said at the beginning: Hamas is ruling Gaza and could end this war at any moment by releasing hostages and laying down arms. The entire war is a result of Hamas’s actions. Therefore, Israel is conducting a defensive war. I’m not a legal expert, so I won’t comment on the finer points of various conventions.”
There’s also concern about famine. All food supplies entering Gaza currently go through Israel, with support from the international community. The UN now reports famine in parts of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has called these accounts erroneous. So, when analyzing the evidence, would the Czech government align with the UN, or with Israel? And how would it analyze the evidence?
“We don’t feel the need to align with anyone. We know that there were some weeks when, by Israeli decision, no aid went into Gaza. The reasoning was that too much aid was being stolen by Hamas, who could then use it to pay salaries or recruit new members. So the reasoning was to deplete [Hamas's] supplies and then bring aid in ways that couldn't be stolen.
“I don’t think it was a smart decision. It didn’t help Israel internationally, but that decision was reversed nearly two months ago. Since early June, the number of trucks entering Gaza has increased to about 300 a day.
“So, while Gaza is a war zone and the situation is not easy, there may be areas where people are sometimes hungry, more due to distribution issues than a lack of supply. We're glad that the situation is generally improving. This can also be seen in falling prices in Gaza’s markets. We hope that trend continues.”
The Czech government called for restraint, for example, in February 2025 when the Rafah invasion was about to occur. Do you think the Foreign Ministry could speak more openly about restraint now, especially as President Pavel appears more vocal on humanitarian concerns? Some argue it's too little, too late. How do you view the Czech government’s role, especially now that it's seen by many in the EU it’s becoming more of a pariah, especially in this position, in not criticizing [Israel] and only advocating for restraint?
“I would strongly object to calling us a pariah just because we don't agree with the majority. EU foreign policy decisions are made unanimously. Most of the time, we all agree on issues. Sometimes we don’t. But disagreement to the majority view doesn't make a country a pariah.
“I don't think there are deep differences within the Czech political establishment on this issue. The fact that President Pavel has somewhat of a different [view] than the prime minister or foreign minister does not make it a political difference.
“Also, just because someone raises an issue more loudly doesn't mean the government or president is changing course. In general, the approach of the government is that if we have concerns, we raise them directly with Israel. We don't believe in loud public declarations.”
At different junctions, Prime Minister Fiala and Foreign Minister Lipavský have both said that Czech support for Israel is "unequivocal," partly due to historical reasons, at the time Czechoslovakia’s [views], its contribution to antisemitism, and also the [history of the] Holocaust. Do you think that having an unequivocal stance of support for Israel, or any country for that matter, is good policy?
“I think there is unequivocal support for Israel, but that doesn’t mean unequivocal support for every action of every Israeli government. That is clear and that has been made clear by the prime minister and the foreign minister. I think it will be this way also in the future.”
