Israel backs ‘toxic’ poster campaign against Soros

THE ISRAELI government has overruled a call by its ambassador in Budapest for Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, to suspend a campaign against Jewish billionaire George Soros.

The “clarification” issued by the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on Sunday evening came after a statement on Saturday night from Israel’s ambassador in Budapest, Yossi Amrani, in which he endorsed the local Jewish community leader’s open letter calling on the Fidesz government to “immediately shut down” the state-funded campaign.

Mr Soros, who was born in Hungary and survived the Holocaust there as a teenager before emigrating to the US, is a major donor to civil society organisations in Eastern Europe, including those opposing Mr Orban’s government on issues such as emigration.

The Hungarian government’s campaign consists of large posters with photos of the elderly financier with the caption “George Soros must not have the last laugh”. The president of the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities, Andras Heisler, wrote in an open letter saying that the campaign contains “toxic messages”. He wrote: “While not openly antisemitic, this campaign can still unleash uncontrolled, antisemitic passions and other feelings”.

Ambassador Amrani called upon “those responsible for the campaign to reconsider its implications”, adding that “the campaign not only brings up sad memories from the past, it also sows hatred and fear”.

The statement was authorised by the Foreign Ministry’s director-general but not by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also Foreign Minister. The Hungarian government objected to the ambassador’s statement, saying: “Like Israel, Hungary takes steps against anyone who poses a national risk to the state or its citizens”.

The diplomatic spat is taking place a week before Mr Netanyahu is to meet Mr Orban in Hungary and participate in a joint summit with him and the leaders of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Israeli right-wing pundits also objected to Mr Amrani’s statement on the grounds that Mr Soros’ donates to leftwing Israeli and Palestinian NGOs, including some which support BDS.

Less than 24 hours after the ambassador’s statement, the Foreign Ministry issued a “clarification” saying: “Israel deplores any expression of antisemitism in any country and stands with Jewish communities everywhere in confronting this hatred. This was the sole purpose of the statement issued by Israel’s ambassador to Hungary. In no way was the statement meant to delegitimise criticism of George Soros, who continuously undermines Israel’s democratically elected governments.”