Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to save face Tuesday after a summit with four central European nations was cancelled over a Holocaust-linked dispute with Poland, instead holding meetings with the remaining three leaders.
The dispute put a dent in Netanyahu’s attempts to forge deeper links with the four countries as part of his strategy to build alliances with nations providing strong backing to ‘Israel’ within the European Union.
Netanyahu frequently lashes out at what he calls the EU’s “hypocritical and hostile attitude,” referring to the bloc’s criticism of Israeli treatment of the Palestinians.
The holding of a summit of the Visegrad group — Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic — in Jerusalem had been seen as a coup for Netanyahu’s efforts.
Source: AFP
