From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 8, 2023
EU cancels Tel Aviv event over Ben Gvir attendance: We don’t want to offer him a platform
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
After controversy arose over the attendance of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the European Union’s delegation to Israel announces that it is canceling altogether the Europe Day diplomatic reception planned for Tuesday.
“The EU Delegation to Israel is looking forward to celebrating Europe Day on May 9, as it does every year,” it says in a statement. “Regrettably, this year we have decided to cancel the diplomatic reception, as we do not want to offer a platform to someone whose views contradict the values the European Union stands for. ”
The cultural event in Tel Aviv for the general public will still take place.
The decision comes after EU ambassadors met this morning at the Delegation offices to decide on a way forward.
The decision at this morning’s meeting was almost unanimous, a diplomat from an EU member state tells The Times of Israel. Only Poland and Hungary, two conservative pro-Israel countries, dissented, according to the diplomat.
