Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of “cowardice” after failing to mention Hungary’s role in the extermination of 600, 000 Jews in the Holocaust as he heaped praise on the country’s leader Viktor Orban.
The Israeli PM made a speech during a visit to Budapest in which he spoke of the “great alliance that has now developed” between the two countries.
Netanyahu said Israel and Hungary were “fighting a similar fight for the future of our common civilization” as he praised Orban, who has been accused of both authoritarianism and of using conspiratal messages in political campaigns, for his “very bold stance against antisemitism.”
But touching only briefly on the Holocaust as part of the common history of Israel and Hungary, Netanyahu failed to mention Hungary’s collaborationist government during World War II.
Nearly 600,000 Hungarian Jews were killed in the Holocaust, but as Israeli journalists attempted to ask Netanyahu to comment on the country’s shameful past he ignored their questions.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, whose late father Joseph Lapid survived the Budapest Ghetto, later blasted the prime minister for his stance.
“Netanyahu mentioned the Holocaust of Hungarian Jews,” he wrote on X, “but cowardice prevented him from mentioning the Hungarians’ role in the extermination.”
As he referenced World War II, the Israeli PM said”We had to overcome great odds to reestablish our sovereignty in our ancient homeland.
“And it was a question of time when these two histories would meet and begin the great alliance that has now developed.”
Orban has repeatedly attempted to show how Jewish life is flourishing in his country and as he spoke he noted the rise of antisemitism in Europe while stressing that “in Hungary, Hamas flags were not waved.”
“We are showing zero tolerance, and Jews in Hungary can feel safe,” he said.
Orban said illegal immigration into Europe was a driver of antisemitism, and the “elites in Brussels are not dealing with it.”
But Orban has come under sustained criticism over his approach to the Holocaust, and his frequent comments on racial purity and immigration.
In 2022 the Hungarian leader appeared to make light of the Nazi gas chambers in World War Two when he criticised the EU’s plan to cut gas demand by 15% by pointing out that “the past shows us German know-how on that”.
Hungary’s largest Jewish group condemned the speech and called for a meeting with Orban.
He has repeatedly face charges of attempting to rewrite history on the role of the Hungarian collaborationist regime in the Holocaust.
The Israeli PM was also quick to heap praise on his counterpart for his “bold and principled position” in withdrawing from the International Criminal Court.
It is “important to stand up to this corrupt organisation,” said Netanyahu. Hungary confirmed it was withdrawing from the ICC, which in November issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli premier, just before the ceremony began on Thursday.
Orban and Netanyahu are two of Trump’s closest allies, and later spoke to him via telephone.
Netanyahu will also receive an honorary doctorate on Friday from a Hungarian university.
