2023-09-05 21:10:10
President of the National Council Sobotka receives Israeli President Herzog in the House of Representatives
Vienna (PK) – As part of his visit to Austria, Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog was received in the Austrian Parliament this followingnoon. He conveyed greetings from the Israeli parliament, in which there is an active parliamentary friendship group. The Israeli President reported that the latter was very interested in deepening the cooperation.
Sobotka emphasized that there was an intensive exchange at parliamentary level, both in the political and in the administrative area. The Austrian parliament benefits in various areas from the cooperation between the two parliaments, he said.
Herzog recognizes commitment in the fight once morest anti-Semitism
President Herzog was particularly impressed by the commitment of Austria and in particular the President of the National Council in the fight once morest anti-Semitism and the breadth of initiatives that he got to know during his visit. Examples include the Simon Wiesenthal Prize, the anti-Semitism study and Parliament’s education agreement with the Yad Vashem Holocaust School. Austria openly faces the difficult chapters of its past and draws conclusions from it.
Sobotka explained that the fight once morest anti-Semitism is unfortunately still necessary, as it shows that anti-Jewish ideologies are not a thing of the past but continue to pose a threat and take new forms. Unfortunately, social media often plays a negative role. Sobotka emphasized that hostility towards Jews should always be strictly rejected, even where it appears as anti-Israel and anti-Zionist attitudes. Anti-Semitism is an ideology that goes directly once morest and seeks to undermine the very foundations of a democratic and pluralistic society. The fight once morest this ideology is therefore a task for society as a whole.
Austria sees itself as a pioneer in the fight once morest anti-Semitism and also supports the corresponding EU strategy, stressed Sobotka. In this context, the Austrian Parliament has implemented a number of important legislative projects in recent years, for example in the area of reparations and efforts to preserve Jewish cemeteries, which are also important testimonies to Austrian-Jewish culture. In this context, the Austrian-Jewish Cultural Heritage Act, which safeguards the life of the Jewish communities in the long term, is of particular importance.
In the field of commemoration culture, Parliament is breaking new ground and has, for example, taken up the “Zikaron BaSalon” (commemoration in the living room) format, which was awarded the Simon Wiesenthal Prize in Parliament in March. The Simon Wiesenthal Prize honors outstanding examples of civil courage in the areas of combating anti-Semitism and education regarding the Holocaust.
The Israeli President was also interested in the work of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism and particularly welcomed the idea of intensifying youth exchanges between Austria and Israel.
Strategic partnership and parliamentary exchange
National Council President Sobotka pointed to the good development of Austria’s strategic partnership with Israel, which is developing well. The international developments of recent years were also discussed in the exchange. Sobotka and Herzog were united in their support for Ukraine once morest the Russian war of aggression. Herzog pointed to Israel’s extensive humanitarian support for Ukraine, which began in the early days of the Russian war of aggression. (close) sox
A NOTICE: Photos from this visit can be found in the Parliament web portal.
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