From the Liveblog of
Monday, April 13, 2026
Herzog, Sa’ar congratulate Hungary’s Magyar on victory; Netanyahu still silent
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar congratulate Peter Magyar on his electoral victory in Hungary yesterday.
“We look forward with great confidence to deepening the friendship and historic relations between Israel and Hungary,” writes Herzog on X, “with the vibrant Hungarian Jewish community continuing to serve as a strong bridge between our two peoples.”
Herzog thanks outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban “for his friendship and longstanding support for Israel.”
“We look forward to continuing working together on further strengthening the good relations between our two countries and expanding our cooperation in different fields of mutual interests,” Sa’ar says, while also thanking Orban for his “steady support of Israel and Jewish life in challenging times.”
Orban, a close ally of both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, was defeated soundly in parliamentary elections by Magyar’s center-right party after 16 years in power.
Neither Netanyahu nor Trump has yet congratulated the victor.
The Times of Israel Community.