Herzog meets Czech president in Prague, hails his ‘love of Israel’

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

President Isaac Herzog (left) awards his Czech counterpart, Miloš Zeman, with the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor in Prague on July 11, 2022 (Haim Zach/GPO)
President Isaac Herzog (left) awards his Czech counterpart, Miloš Zeman, with the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor in Prague on July 11, 2022 (Haim Zach/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog meets his Czech counterpart, Miloš Zeman, in Prague, and awards him the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor.

Herzog is welcomed by Zeman and First Lady Ivana Zemanová at Prague Castle, the Czech presidential residence. The welcome ceremony includes an honor guard and the playing of the Israeli and Czech national anthems.

The two leaders then hold a one-on-one meeting, followed by a larger meeting with their staffers.

Herzog awards the medal at the start of a state luncheon.

President Isaac Herzog and his Czech counterpart, Miloš Zeman, survey an honor guard in Prague on July 11, 2022 (Haim Zach/GPO)

“You are an important ally,” says Herzog, “and your love of Israel has given it renown in the family of nations. It is no secret that for several decades, Israel and Czechia have been true partners, learning from each other, supporting each other, and relying on each other.”

Herzog thanks Zeman for Prague’s support of Israel in international forums, and for relocating a branch of the Czech embassy to Jerusalem.

“Needless to say, the Czech Republic fully supports the Israeli people against the international community,” says Zeman. “In this context, we also discussed with Mr. President the anti-Israel decision of the UN Human Rights Council, a decision that we have both forcefully condemned.”

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