In defiance of European Union guidelines, Hungary will not label products from Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights. Indeed, its foreign minister urges greater cooperation with Israel in fighting global terrorism.

Speaking at a breakfast meeting of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations on Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto, who was on a 24-hour visit to Israel, said that his country will not label products from Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights, calling the EU’s decision to do so “irrational.”

“We do not support that decision. It is an inefficient instrument. It is irrational and does not contribute to a solution [to the Palestinian–Israeli conflict], but causes damage,” Szijjarto stated, according to a Jerusalem Post report.

He also rejected international criticism of Hungarian policy regarding the Middle Eastern and African refugee crisis.

“The allegation that Hungary is against the European value of freedom of movement is hypocritical. We are only trying to prevent people from crossing our borders illegally,” Szijjarto said, citing mass migration as “the greatest challenge that the EU has had to face since its foundation.”

Terror in Paris is a ‘Wake-Up Call’

This is not a refugee crisis. It is mass immigration,” the Hungarian minister asserted.

“The ability to protect our borders is our number one priority,” he continued.  “If you cannot protect your borders,” you cannot protect your territory and you cannot protect your citizens… What happened in Paris last Friday is a strong wake-up call for European politicians. We must make serious decisions to protect our people… We must get back the ability to control our borders. We should not be speaking about how to manage migration, but how to help these people to stay at home.”

In fact, Szijjarto said, Europe should be strengthening cooperation with Israel in the fight against global terror and, in particular, the Islamic State (ISIS), “which is an everyday threat in Europe.”

Szijjarto also presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a gift – a soccer ball signed by noted soccer player Ferenc Puskas, a Hungarian icon.

By: United with Israel Staff
(With files from The Jerusalem Post)