President Miloš Zeman has reservations about the adept foreign minister Jan Lipavský. There is talk that there is a different view of Israel. What do you think about it?
We will agree with the President and Lipavsky that Israel is a key ally for us. But we have a different view that the President wants to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In part, it has already happened. However, all European states are of the opinion that this should happen only when there is a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. It is known that Palestinians claim part of the territory. Therefore, we should wait until they sign the peace treaty and then relocate the embassy. So far, only the United States and a few small states have wanted to do so.
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The different attitudes towards the location of the embassy do not prevent us from continuing to be an ally of Israel and also from all sorts of contacts and cooperation in science and the military. I am of the opinion that Lipavský is right in this. The same is true of the annexation of the Palestinian territories. If Israel really annexed the Palestinian territories, it would create a big problem for itself, because it would be difficult for it to create a purely Jewish state afterwards.
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According to the president and other Czech politicians, as extraordinary allies of Israel, we should forgive these reservations.
I am a lifelong friend of Israel and I think we should continue to be the closest allies in Europe. And we should be honest with friends and tell them when they go crazy. It is not possible for there to be two classes of population in one state. This is against all the principles of democracy and human rights.
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Is Lipavský a good adept at the head of diplomacy?
I sat next to him on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and even though I’m as deaf as I am, I always understood what he was saying. I consider him reasonable and gifted, he always asked the right questions. I appreciated him, and that is why I supported him at the TOP 09 assembly that we should stand behind him. I consider him the best adept in this generation.
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Although not very expressive or charismatic?
He also does not run for president, but has to do foreign policy. That is something else.
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In your opinion, should Fiala persevere and go to a dispute with the president and, for example, to the Constitutional Court?
He certainly has to hold him and go to court, for fundamental reasons. It should finally be clarified whether the president really has the right to veto someone. If the court says yes, please let him do it, if not, let him stop. Treating the constitution like a rubber band, stretching it as it goes, is detrimental to democracy and the rule of law.
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