Israeli FM Gideon Saar visits Czechia on first official trip

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is visiting Czechia on Thursday on his first official foreign trip since taking office less than a month ago. Saar is set to meet his Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavský, at the Černín Palace in Prague to discuss the current situation in the Middle East and bilateral cooperation. Later in the day, he will also be received by Senate President Miloš Vystrčil.

Jan Lipavský was the first foreign official to visit Israel following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas militants, which killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw 251 individuals taken hostage into Gaza. Since then, several high-ranking Czech officials, including President Petr Pavel, Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Chamber of Deputies Speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Senate President Vystrčil, and Defense Minister Jana Černochová, have visited Israel. In July, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana made an official trip to Prague.

The October 7 attack marked the beginning of a large-scale Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, has resulted in over 44,000 Palestinian deaths and roughly 105,000 injuries. These figures, which do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, suggest that the majority of casualties are civilians.

Czechia has been one of Israel's strongest supporters within the European Union. In September, it was one of only 14 countries to vote against a UN General Assembly resolution calling on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories within a year. More recently, Czechia blocked an EU statement calling for an "immediate ceasefire" between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah. According to the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statement was vetoed because it unilaterally limited Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah’s terrorist activities.

This steadfast support underscores Czechia’s historically close ties with Israel, even as international opinions on the conflict remain divided.