Minister: Government won't change its stance on Israel-Hamas conflict

The government's stance on the conflict in the Middle East and their support of Israel has not changed and will not change, Transport Minister Martin Kupka said at a press conference on Wednesday evening after a cabinet meeting. Although the government is not indifferent to the human suffering caused, it thinks it important to maintain a clear and intelligible position on the conflict that also takes into account the history of Czech-Israeli relations, the minister added.

On Tuesday, over 80 prominent Czechs including former ombudsman Anna Šabatová, priest Tomáš Halík and bishop Václav Malý called in an open letter addressed to the government, the president and the House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committee to change their stance on the conflict and stop unreservedly supporting the Israeli government, regardless of the scale of the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip. They further called on Prime Minister Petr Fiala's government to join the call of the International Court of Justice for immediate provision of sufficient humanitarian aid to the victims of the conflict, to oppose violence against civilians and the actions of extremists on both sides, to support steps by the international community for a just settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, to ensure the safe coexistence of both nations and to emphasize a humane approach to all victims of the conflict and thereby contribute to the renewal of the peace process.