The Czech ambassador to Israel Veronika Kučinová, who wears a Star of David necklace even though she is not Jewish, says – “The Czech Republic is the most pro-Israel country in Europe. Support for Israel is one of the few things that unites the right and the left in the Czech Republic. If we have a politician who speaks Against Israel, they immediately go against it – both from the right and from the left.”
“We had small protests of 200 people against Israel – and in front of them thousands demonstrated in your favor. The younger generation in the Czech Republic study in Europe and visit campuses and see the demonstrations against Israel, therefore support for Israel among young people is a little lower than the older generation – but still high.”
Why does she support Israel so much?
“Tomas Masrik, the first president of Czechoslovakia, was considered a friend of the Jewish people and fought against manifestations of anti-Semitism. At the time, a decision was even made to grant full equality of rights to the Jews in the country. A series of sites around the country are named after Masrik, who visited the Land of Israel in 1927.”
In addition, the embassy provided additional explanations – security, geopolitical and moral. “We are a small country and sympathize with countries that have to fight for their lives and make difficult decisions. In addition, we think that if terrorism is not stopped in Gaza, it will also advance to Europe.”
Supporting Israel is in the Czech Republic’s interest because it makes us more ‘visible’ in the international arena. When we discuss the Middle East, everyone asks what we think, because they know that we are in favor of Israel.”
Kuchinova detailed the steps taken in the Czech Republic in favor of Israel during the war, and noted that her country has been providing Israel with military aid such as ammunition, helmets and protective vests since the outbreak of the war. In addition, the ambassador said, “We do not hesitate to block resolutions against Israel in the United Nations and the European Union.”
“We support the fact that Hamas cannot remain in power – it must be defeated. We believe that a technocratic government that is not identified with Hamas should handle the normal management of life in Gaza.”
“Unfortunately, most of the countries in the European Union do not support Israel. There are countries that are really unfriendly like Ireland, Spain and Belgium. Today the Czech Republic and Hungary support you, and Austria has also become more and more pro-Israel in recent years. Germany is also relatively friendly.” However, the ambassador clarified: “You are not isolated, but the truth is that the Union wastes more time on Israel than any conflict in the world except Ukraine. If Israel’s support for Ukraine was stronger, it would help us.”
Kuchinova is not only concerned with the war in Gaza, and she is also very concerned about what she defines as the “axis of evil” – which starts from Russia and goes through Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. “Unfortunately, the evil regimes on Earth are more united than ever. The close cooperation between Iran and Russia should worry Israel more. I think your government thinks it has influence over Putin and Russia, but from our experience with Russia we don’t think that influence exists or is as strong as you think. I think you should put the Russians to the test in Syria, for example. You can never trust Putin again.”
