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Sunday, 16 May 2010

Israel concerned over rise of far right in Hungary, says ambassador

Israel's relations with Hungary are overall excellent but the strengthening of the far right in the country is a concern, the Israeli Ambassador told MTI on Thursday, ahead of the 62nd anniversary of the State of Israel on May 14.

"Israel continues to remain a close friend of Hungary as their peoples share many values," said Aliza Bin-Noun, adding that Jewish communities play an important role in Hungarian society.

"Israel and its public, especially Holocaust survivors, are at the same time paying increased attention to anti-Semitism in Hungary and are particularly concerned about the rise of the far-right," she said.

The ambassador expressed hope that the incoming government will appropriately tackle a situation in which, she noted, a far right force, the Jobbik party, has gained seats in Parliament.

"A party which encompasses anti-Semitism in its ideology and is driven by intolerance or racism must be dealt with society itself. This issue is not about Jews or Israel but about Hungarian society as a whole," the ambassador said.

Jobbik won for the first time 47 out of 386 mandates in Hungary's Parliament.

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