The historical and ideological roots of this international relationship, which would prove crucial for the establishment of Israel in 1948, can be traced back to the early 19th century, and the emerging Czech-Jewish alliance in Prague. By 1938, virtually all groups of Jews in the Bohemian Lands, Czech assimilationists, German liberals, and Zionists, were closely attached to the Czechoslovak government and integrated in the centre-left elite of the country (but excluded from the right). The links between T.G. Masaryk and Zionist circles in Prague and beyond, mark the crucial node that would lead to Czechoslovak military assistance to the nascent Israeli state around 1948.[1]
After this peak, Czechoslovakia-Israel relations deteriorated, and the two countries did not have diplomatic relations during most of the Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. However, after the Velvet Revolution and dissolution of Czechoslovakia the countries re-established contact, and the Czech Republic is now one of Israel's closest allies, frequently demonstrating strong support for Israel at the United Nations and within the European Union.[1]
In March 2021, the Czech Republic opened a diplomatic office in Jerusalem.[2]
History
Israeli relations with Czechoslovakia
The founder of Czechoslovakia, President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, had close relations with Jews and the Zionist Movement. In 1920 he became the first statesman to visit the first Jewish kibbutz in Mandatory Palestine.[1]:50
Czechoslovakia was one of 33 countries to vote in favour of the 1947 UN partition resolution recommending the establishment of a Jewish state, and was among the first countries to recognize the State of Israel, which it did on May 18, 1948, four days after Israel's declaration of independence.[3] Diplomatic relations between the countries were established on July 3, 1948, four months after the Communists seized power in Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia supported the newly created state for several months with military aircraft and weapons. However the Communist government later ceased this support and after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War diplomatic relations were broken.[1]
Following the 1989 Velvet Revolution, diplomatic relations were re-established between Israel and the newly democratic Czechoslovakia.
Israeli relations with the Czech Republic
After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, diplomatic relations were established between Israel and the two successor states, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In December 2008 the Czech Air Force wanted to train in desert conditions for the upcoming mission in Afghanistan, and Israel offered their desert areas for this purpose, to thank the Czechs for training Israeli pilots when the country was first established.[4]
In a United Nations General Assembly vote on 29 November 2012, the Czech Republic was the only European country to vote with Israel against upgrading the status of Palestine to a "non-member observer state".[7]
During a visit to Prague in May 2012, Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had "no better friend in Europe than the Czech Republic".[8] During a visit to Israel in November 2014, Czech Foreign MinisterLubomír Zaorálek claimed that Czech media and society viewed Israel as "a trusted friend, a vibrant democracy, and an economic and technological powerhouse", adding that the Czech Republic had one of the lowest levels of anti-Semitism in Europe.[9] In 2015, Israel Foreign Affairs MinisterMoshe Arens described Czech-Israel relations as "excellent", and the best of all nations in the European Union.[10]
In December 2015 the Czech Parliament refused to implement European Union guidelines to label Israeli products originating from the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Czech lawmakers described the rules as anti-Semitic, and discrimination against "the only democracy in the Middle East". Israel's ambassador Gary Koren thanked the parliament for its decision.[11]
In October 2016 Czech Parliament passed a motion condemning a UNESCO resolution on Palestine which omitted reference to the Jewish heritage of the Western Wall and other historical sites in Jerusalem,[12] with deputies accusing UNESCO of antisemitism and describing the resolution as "hateful" during the parliamentary discussion.[13]Ofir Akunis, Israeli Minister of Science, Technology and Space, thanked the Czech Parliament and the country, describing it as a "heroic act" and reaffirming the close relationship between the countries.[14]
In May 2017 the Chamber of Deputies passed a non-binding resolution condemning another UNESCO resolution critical of Israel, and calling on the Czech government to advocate recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The resolution also called for the Czech Republic to withhold its annual funding to UNESCO.[15]
On 22 October 2019, the Chamber of Deputies passed a non-binding resolution "condemn[ing] all activities and statements by groups calling for a boycott of the State of Israel, its goods, services or citizens." The resolution was introduced by Jan Bartošek, leader of the Populars caucus in the chamber.[16]
On 11 March 2021, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš opened the Czech diplomatic office in Jerusalem, the second European Union country to do so, after Hungary.[17]
In July 2022, Israeli President Isaac Herzog made a state visit to the Czech Republic. At Prague Castle, President Herzog awarded the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor to Czech President Miloš Zeman, hailing his Czech counterpart’s "deep friendship with the Jewish People, his consistent support for Israel on the international stage, and his 'zero tolerance' policy toward terrorism and antisemitism."[18]
On 25 October 2023, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala made a visit to Israel where he expressed the Czech Republic's support for Israel following the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Herzog.[19] Earlier that month, he had proposed accelerating the move of the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.[20] Prime Minister Netanyahu had an official visit to the Czech Republic planned for early October, accompanied by ministers of his cabinet, which was cancelled due to the attacks.[21]
In January 2024, Czech President Petr Pavel made a two-day visit to Israel in light of the ongoing 2023 Israel–Hamas war. During the visit, President Pavel met with Israeli officials including Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Herzog, where he expressed support for Israel while also stating concerns over humanitarian aid and civilian casualties in Gaza.[22]
Foreign relations of Israel refers to diplomatic and trade relations between Israel and other countries around the world. Israel has diplomatic ties with 164 of the other 192 UN member states as of December 2020. Israel is a member of the United Nations (UN) and a number of other international organisations. Israel maintains full diplomatic relations with two of its Arab neighbours, Egypt and Jordan, after signing peace treaties in 1979 and 1994 respectively. In 2020, Israel signed agreements establishing diplomatic relations with four Arab League countries, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco. As of 2021, Israel had formal diplomatic relations with 168 other countries, while twenty-eight UN member states have either never established, or have broken off diplomatic relations with Israel.
The status of Jerusalem has been described as "one of the most intractable issues in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict" due to the long-running territorial dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, both of which claim it as their capital city. Part of this issue of sovereignty is tied to concerns over access to holy sites in the Abrahamic religions; the current religious environment in Jerusalem is upheld by the "Status Quo" of the former Ottoman Empire. As the Israeli–Palestinian peace process has primarily navigated the option of a two-state solution, one of the largest points of contention has been East Jerusalem, which was part of the Jordanian-annexed West Bank until the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967.
Isaac "Bougie" Herzog is an Israeli politician who has been serving as the 11th president of Israel since 2021. He is the first president to be born in Israel after its Declaration of Independence.
Israel–New Zealand relations are the foreign relations between the State of Israel and New Zealand. While Israel has an embassy in Wellington, New Zealand's embassy in Ankara, Turkey is accredited to Israel. Diplomatic relations between the two countries date back to January 1949. New Zealand has exported a mixture of agricultural and manufactured goods to Israel. In return, Israel has exported a range of manufactured goods to New Zealand. Bilateral relations between the two countries have been complicated by issues such as the 2004 Israel–New Zealand passport scandal, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Germany–Israel relations are the diplomatic relationship between the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Israel. After the end of World War II and the Holocaust, relations gradually thawed as West Germany offered to pay reparations to Israel in 1952 and diplomatic relations were officially established in 1965. Nonetheless, a deep mistrust of the German people remained widespread in Israel and the Jewish diaspora communities worldwide for many years after. Relations between East Germany and Israel never materialised. Israel and Germany now maintain a "special relationship" based on shared beliefs, Western values, and a combination of historical perspectives. Among the most important factors in their relations is Nazi Germany's genocide of Jews in Europe during the Holocaust.
Colombia–Israel relations are the diplomatic relations between Colombia and Israel officially established in the mid-1950s.
The State of Israel is represented in the Russian Federation through an embassy in Moscow and a consulate-general in Yekaterinburg. Russia is represented in Israel through an embassy in Tel Aviv and a consulate in Haifa. Russia is a member of the Quartet on the Middle East. For many years, Israel was a haven for Russian Jews. This was especially the case during the aliyah from the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1990s. Israel and the Soviet Union, Russia's predecessor state, were on opposing sides during the Cold War. However, the relationship between Israel and Russia has improved significantly since the early 2000s, with the election of the more pro-Israel Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and the election of the more pro-Russia Israeli leader Ariel Sharon. Putin has had a close relationship with long-serving Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli–Mexican relations are the diplomatic relations between Israel and Mexico. Both nations are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.
Full diplomatic relations between Croatia and Israel were established on April 9, 1997 following Croatia's independence from SFR Yugoslavia. Croatia has an embassy in Tel Aviv and honorary consulates in Ashdod, Caesarea, Jerusalem and Kfar Shmaryahu. Israel has an embassy in Zagreb. Relations between the two countries are described as friendly and highly cooperative. In recent years, Croatia and Israel intensified bilateral relations and cooperation in the field of defence and security. Croatia is one of the countries Israel occasionally turns to inside the EU to advocate on its behalf and it generally abstains or votes with Israel on key EU votes at the UN. Israeli president Reuven Rivlin described Croatia in 2019 as "Israel's strong ally in the EU, the UN and other multilateral organizations."
Israel–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between Israel and Ukraine. Both countries recognized each other on 11 May 1949 as the Ukrainian SSR and established de jure diplomatic relations on 26 December 1991 when Ukraine became independent. Israel has an embassy in Kyiv. Ukraine has an embassy in Tel Aviv and a consulate-general in Haifa. There are 30,000 Ukrainians settled in Israel, while Ukraine has one of Europe's largest Jewish communities. Ukraine is also the first state, apart from Israel, to have had both a Jewish president and prime minister simultaneously.
Israel and Spain have maintained diplomatic ties since 1986. Israel has an embassy in Madrid. Spain has an embassy in Tel Aviv, and an honorary consulate in Haifa. There is also a General Consulate in Jerusalem, which serves as a diplomatic mission to the city of Jerusalem, Gaza and the territories of the West Bank. In addition to both countries being member states of the United Nations, both countries are members of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Israel–Singapore relations, also referred to as Israeli–Singaporean relations, refers to the bilateral relations between the State of Israel and the Republic of Singapore. Relations between the two countries have been extremely cordial and friendly for more than half a century, which are influenced by their similar geopolitical state of affairs, being relatively small states surrounded by larger neighbors.
Israel–Poland relations comprise diplomatic relations between Israel and Poland. Israel has an embassy in Warsaw, while Poland has an embassy in Tel Aviv. The Polish ambassador to Israel is Marek Magierowski, while the newly appointed Israeli ambassador to Poland is Yacov Livne, and the charge d'affaires is Tal Ben-Ari Yaalon. Both countries are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Union for the Mediterranean and United Nations.
Bilateral relations between Australia and Israel, were established in 1949. Australia has an embassy in Tel Aviv and Israel has an embassy in Canberra.
International relations between Argentina and Israel, have existed for decades. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 31 May 1949.
Petr Fiala is a Czech politician and political scientist who has been the prime minister of the Czech Republic since November 2021 and leader of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) since 2014. He previously served as the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports from 2012 to 2013. Prior to entering politics, he was the rector of Masaryk University.
Israel–Nauru relations are diplomatic and other relations between Israel and Nauru. Israel has a non-resident ambassador in Jerusalem and honorary consulate (Yaren), Nauru has an honorary consulate.
Israel–Sierra Leone relations are the official and diplomatic relations between the State of Israel and the west African Republic of Sierra Leone. Both nations have friendly ties, established in 1961 when Sierra Leone gained independence. Israel has no embassy in Freetown, and is represented through its embassy in Senegal. Likewise, Sierra Leone does not maintain a diplomatic representation in Israel, and is instead represented by its consul of honor, Israeli media personality David Ben Basat. In August 2023, Sierra Leone announced its intention to open an embassy in Jerusalem.
Brazil–Czech Republic relations are the diplomatic relations between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Czech Republic. Both nations enjoy friendly relations, the importance of which centers on the history of Czech migration to Brazil. Approximately 500 thousand Brazilians have Czech ancestry. Both nations are members of the United Nations.
Israel-Liberia relations refer to the bilateral relations between the State of Israel and the Republic of Liberia. Liberia was one of the United Nations member states to vote in favor of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine in 1947. Israel and Liberia established relations in the late 1950s. The administration of William Tolbert severed ties with the Israeli government in 1973 in response to the Yom Kippur War, but they were re-established in 1983 by Samuel Doe, who succeeded Tolbert via coup.
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