The leading Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom conducted an extensive interview with Balázs Orbán, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's chief political advisor. Neokohn published the interview in its entirety, without changes, our portal quotes from this article.
The name of Balázs Orbán, the closest adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and one of Hungary's leading conservative thinkers, was included in the domestic political debates in Israel this week. The young consultant (36 years old) responded to a tweet published by opposition leader Jair Lapid, in which he criticized Hungary's economic situation.
In Hungary, inflation is 24% and food prices are up 48% this year. This is where Levin and Netanyahu are leading us," Lapid wrote on Twitter. In his response, Orbán wrote: Mr. Lapid's serious election defeat does not justify the spread of fake news, the Hungarian economy grew by 4.5%, unemployment was a record low of 3.9% in 2022. Israel is clearly not Hungary, it must follow its own path. Hungary remains a true friend of Israel.
The author of the interview asked Orbán how he feels about the fact that Hungary has become part of the domestic political debate in Israel - so much so that in Israel they are talking about the "Hungarianization" of the country.
"I haven't heard of this yet," Orbán says with a laugh, adding:
"above all, we believe that Hungary and Israel are strategic partners and friends. We really hope that Israel will be on the right track and we wish you a lot of success. If there is anything we can do for Israel, let us know. But I think Israel needs its own track, just like we do. Personally, the national-religious ideology is close to my heart. It is an ideological movement in the Western world, coined by an Israeli-American, Yoram Hazoni, who believes that conservatism in modern times can only be associated with positive nationalism. In other words, you have to focus on the interests of your country, and by showing self-respect, you can achieve an extremely stable international status. If you want to apply liberal and universal principles, you have lost. Hungary and Israel have their own path, and we hope that the strategic partnership between us can flourish.
I hope that there will be areas where we can deepen our cooperation - economy, military, innovation, industry and the promotion of common foreign policy goals. Israel now has a conservative-right-wing government, like Hungary.
"We have experience in supporting traditional families and traditional institutions, in protecting national interests through constitutional institutions. If the Israeli government has knowledge in these areas that could contribute to our success, we welcome it."
In recent years, Hungary has been Israel's biggest supporter, especially within the ranks of the European Union. Has there been a positive change in this area?
"It is very sad that we often feel alone in this campaign. Few countries stand by us. But there are some, mainly from Central Europe, so we are not completely alone. Unfortunately, support for Israel is controversial in the eyes of Western European countries. It's crazy, because that wasn't the case a few decades ago."
/……/
Orbán continued:
"If you want to understand the background of this situation, the main problem is immigration. In recent decades, millions of people from the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa have come to European countries as asylum seekers and illegal immigrants and have stayed there. Many of them become citizens and get the right to vote, and among these people anti-Israel views are very strong. That is why mainstream politicians in Western Europe, who care not about principles, but about their own interests and survival, are ready to adopt anti-Israel positions.
In Central Europe, especially in Hungary, a very strong opinion was expressed against illegal immigration, a position supported by the Hungarian population. Therefore, the Hungarian population strongly supports the State of Israel, which is a clear national-religious state like Hungary, which believes in innovation, a strong army and the ability to jointly maintain the existing international structure. Mass immigration makes Israel's position in the West increasingly difficult."
/……/
Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, the author asked Balázs Orbán whether he sees a chance to avoid a major escalation.
“At least I hope and pray so. What is happening now is very scary. It all started as a local conflict in 2014 and 2022. Many European countries have said they do not want to intervene militarily. Now, however, Germany is sending tanks, and there is even talk in Europe about handing over airplanes. The escalation is clear if we look at where we were a year ago and where we are today. If you try to estimate what will happen in 2024 based on this, it is quite scary and it worries us.
We would be very happy if someone - a strong leader of a strong country - would come and put energy into trying to convince those involved in the conflict to return to negotiations. Nobody says it's going to be easy. First, a cease-fire must be reached, during which negotiations on a peace treaty must be continued. Making peace is very challenging, but someone has to be the mediator.
That is why we were so happy that Benjamin Netanyahu won the elections.
Not only because he came from the same political camp as Fidesz and the relations between our partners are excellent, but also because we believe that Netanyahu can be the authoritative international figure who has the experience, knowledge and leadership skills to try to convince Ukraine and Russia's leaders to return to the negotiating table, as well as the United States. Who else would be suitable for this? This is why the recent Israeli elections were not only important for the Israeli people, but I believe they can be important for the entire world praying for peace…
Source: Neokohn
(Cover photo: Origo/Sándor Csudai)
