Israeli envoy to Romania breaks boycott, meets far-right party chief

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Israel’s envoy to Romania meets with the head of a local right-wing party accused of antisemitism, breaking a boycott by Israel of the party and drawing criticism from the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum and from Romanian political figures.

Ambassador Reuven Azar met George Simion, head of the populist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) opposition party, which currently holds 12 percent of parliament seats but is predicted by some to become a major political force in the near future.

The meeting at the parliament in Bucharest — approved by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen — was also attended by a prominent settler leader in the West Bank, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, who has been working to facilitate support for settlements among right-wing European parties.

Most Popular