Czech Republic vows to block EU sanctions against Israel following FM Sa'ar's visit to Prague

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar met with Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Petr Macinka in Prague, where Macinka pledged that the Czech Republic would stand by Israel and block any further European Union trade sanctions. "We will not allow any more trade sanctions even if we have to block it as a single country," Macinka said. "We will certainly not allow any suspension or freezing of Israel's association agreement with the European Union, either in full or in any part of it."

Sa'ar used the visit to sharply criticize what he described as a coordinated campaign by left-wing European governments to isolate Israel within the EU. "We are witnessing an attempt by certain left-wing governments in Europe to drag the European Union into a radical anti-Israeli approach," he said. "These hostile governments are harming strategic relations with the only democracy in the Middle East in order to win applause from the most radical and terrorist countries in our region."

Macinka said the Czech Republic would also seek coalitions on issues requiring a qualified majority vote to prevent further aggressive EU steps against Israel. "On this point, our position will be clear: 'No,'" he said.

Alongside the diplomatic meetings, Sa'ar and Macinka co-hosted a business forum attended by some 200 Israeli and Czech businesspeople. "My foreign policy is invest in friendly countries. And the Czech Republic is one of Israel's greatest friends," Sa'ar said. Bilateral trade between Israel and the Czech Republic surpassed 1.4 billion dollars in 2025, and Israeli tourism in the Czech Republic jumped 33.4% that year compared to 2024.