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Hungarian president visits Western Wall, supports ‘strong Israel,’ calls Netanyahu ‘courageous politician’

Hungarian President Katalin Novak, on a visit to Jerusalem this week, tweeted that “Hungary is not only an ally, but a friend to Israel.”

By World Israel News Staff

On a visit to Israel this week, Hungarian President Katalin Novak met with her counterpart Isaac Herzog, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu, among other top dignitaries.

“The alliance of Hungary and Israel is unshakable. Hungary has always stood up for Israel in the international community, and I reassured President Isaac Herzog that Israel can count on Hungary’s continued support in the future as well,” Novak, the first woman to serve as President of Hungary, said Thursday, after meeting with Herzog.

“Hungary and Israel are strong strategic partners and maintain ever close bilateral ties,” she tweeted, adding that she “looks forward” to a visit from Herzog in Budapest.

“We stand for a strong Israel,” she stated.

Referring to the war in Ukraine, Hungary Today reported, Novak acknowledged that security is in the interest of every nation. “The Israeli and Hungarian people also know this very well, as they experience it first-hand,” she stated.

On arrival Wednesday, Novak was welcomed to Israel by the IDF at the U.S.-Israel Air & Missile Defense Integration & Testing site.

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Novak discussed the Middle East situation with Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu, whom she described as a “courageous politician with clear vision.”

Meeting with Prime Minister Yair Lapid in Tel Aviv, she tweeted that she “completely agrees” with him that “Hungary is not only an ally, but a friend to Israel.”

Novak visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem, where, according to Israel National News, she wrote in the Western Wall guest book: “May our prayers be listened to, and may more people understand that in G-d we are united, that our common father brings us closer to each other. [May] the Israeli-Hungarian friendship [be] long-lasting!”

The president also paid a visit to Yad Vashem and met with Hungarian Holocaust survivors. “Hungary has the third largest Jewish community in Europe, and we Hungarians are proud of it. The Jewish people and Jewish culture are experiencing a renaissance in Hungary today,” she said.