Czech President Miloš Zeman, who arrived in Israel Sunday for a three-day state visit, expressed his doubts that the creation of a Palestinian state would be helpful in solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“I was inspired by your idea about one state with two nations. And I know this idea is provocative. Any big and great idea is provocative,” Zeman told President Reuven Rivlin during an official meeting in Jerusalem.
“I wonder what will be your arguments for this idea because for many, many decades, there is a discussion about two independent states,” he said. “But frankly, I do not see an independent state in Gaza because I understand Hamas as a terror organization and not as a state.”
As part of his trip, Zeman will inaugurate the “Czech House” in Jerusalem on Tuesday, which is generally accepted to be a first step before inaugurating an official Czech embassy in Jerusalem.
“In the current situation, our friendship is more important than ever,” Rivlin told Zeman. “We welcome your support for the eventual move of the embassy of the Czech Republic to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the city of peace. May peace begin in Jerusalem, and may it spread from Jerusalem to all the world.”
In April, Zeman announced that the Czech Republic would begin the process of moving the Czech mission from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Zeman was scheduled to address Israel’s Knesset on Monday—reports indicate that the first word of his speech will be “Shalom”—and lay a wreath at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem. He will also visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum and have lunch with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.
The Czech embassy has been located in Tel Aviv since 1949. Israel and the Czech Republic have enjoyed diplomatic relations except during the years of the Communist regime in Prague between 1967 and 1990.
