In an unusual move, the European Union (EU) has canceled Tuesday's official Europe Day reception in Tel Aviv to avoid a speech by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. The EU delegation in Israel will not host the diplomatic event after the ultranationalist politician insisted on making a speech as a government representative at the festive event that takes place every year.
"Unfortunately, this year we have decided to cancel the diplomatic reception as we do not want to offer a platform to someone whose opinions contradict the values defended by the European Union", the EU representation announced, confirming that "the cultural event of Europe Day for The Israeli public will stand with our friends and partners in Israel to celebrate our strong and constructive bilateral relationship."
German ambassador Steffen Seibert sums up the European position: "I wish this wasn't necessary but it was. Looking forward to celebrating Europe and the values that unite us at the cultural event."
"It is a shame that the EU, which claims to represent the values of democracy and multiculturalism, practices non-diplomatic gagging," Ben Gvir replied, adding: "We respect the EU but Israel is the one who chooses its representatives. Friends know how to express criticism and true friends also know how to listen to them".
The first media clash between the EU and the Israeli government that took office at the end of 2022 goes beyond the protocol aspect of the annulled act in Tel Aviv. The announcement reveals the strong opposition, shared by the US, to Ben Gvir and his party, which until now was kept very discreet and informal to avoid diplomatic tensions with Israel.
The controversy surrounding Europe Day began several weeks ago when the government secretariat was commissioned to choose for the event the replacement for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen, who began his visit to India this Tuesday and who a few days ago held meetings with European leaders in Brussels. EU representatives were surprised by the choice of Ben Gvir considering that he is the country's most controversial minister with a past marked by membership in an outlawed extremist Jewish group, incitement to racism and provocations against Arabs and the left. .
The EU asked Israel to change its representative but it was too late. Ben Gvir was not going to give up a media act that could give him international legitimacy. So, the Europeans chose as a "lesser evil" to host the reception but without speeches. The Israeli leader indicated that, despite the discrepancies, he wanted to say a few words as per tradition. In his speech, he was going to highlight "the importance of the relationship with the EU and cooperation in the fight against Jihad and terrorists" and at the same time, alluding to the position of the Old Continent on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to demand that countries Europeans not to finance "projects and initiatives against soldiers and citizens of Israel".
Thus, after ruling out the sending of lower-ranking representatives to the event, the 27 EU ambassadors in Israel made the drastic decision to cancel it. Had he known the effects, it is quite possible that veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have intervened to ensure another representative was sent. According to various sources, the election of Ben Gvir was basically a bureaucratic "accident" in the new government and not something premeditated to launch an ordeal at the EU.
In Foreign Affairs, however, they criticize that the election was merely technical without taking into account the diplomatic aspect and, above all, the rejection that this minister provokes in the EU and the US. Asked about the fears in the international context before a government that includes, for example, a figure as controversial as Ben Gvir, Cohen clarified to EL MUNDO a few days ago that "who leads the government and the country is Likud and Netanyahu" while highlighting the importance of "maintaining a strong relationship" with the EU.
In any case, it is a diplomatic slap in the face for Netanyahu, who also continues without receiving an invitation to the White House or the United Arab Emirates. "We brought relations with the EU to an unprecedented height that contributed to Israel's economy and position," said the former prime minister, the centrist Yair Lapid, who accuses the ultra-conservative government of "getting into unnecessary fights" and creating " a crisis with the EU only to have Ben Gvir embarrass us in the world again due to unnecessary speech."
BEN GVIR VS NETANYAHU
Due to his ideas and his eagerness for media prominence, Ben Gvir has become the main focus of internal and external tensions in the Government. In fact, the unofficial EU boycott of Ben Gvir coincides with the latter's boycott of his own government in the Knesset vote. Ben Gvir and the rest of the ministers from his party ("Jewish Power") did not appear yesterday at the Executive meeting in protest against what they consider "a left-wing policy" by Netanyahu. In recent days, Ben Gvir and the Likud leader have exchanged accusations and threats after the former denounced the "lazy response to terrorist attacks from Gaza."
Netanyahu, at the head of a bloc of 64 out of 120 deputies, confirms that Ben Gvir has not moderated either in form or substance after receiving such an important ministerial post. Bibi's problem is that without him, his government falls. Unlike in the past, he does not have an alternative in the center and the left to agree on a coalition, either because of his trial for corruption or because of the deep division around the proposed changes in the judiciary.
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