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Summary for: Bad timing or convenient getaway? Czech PM under fire for trip to Israel on Velvet Revolution anniversaryCzech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is facing backlash over plans to travel to Israel from November 16-18, therefore missing events commemorating the 1989 Velvet Revolution next Tuesday.
The PM initially mentioned the upcoming trip on Facebook on Sunday, with the final date confirmed yesterday by the Straka Academy (the Prime minister and government’s office).
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Air defense on the agenda
Babiš was originally supposed to go to Vietnam around that time, but the trip was ultimately postponed to early December.
At the end of October, he told reporters that he was planning to come to Národní třída – the central Prague street where most of the celebrations take place – on November 17.
But those plans, too, have now been scrapped.
“I am going to Israel at the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Banjamin Netanyahu […] The main topic that I will address is anti-ballistic missile protection,” Babiš said, adding that they will also discuss other joint projects in the areas of security and defense, child protection or healthcare.
More context. Although Netanyahu is expected to remain Israel’s Prime Minister for the foreseeable future, the visit comes as President Isaac Herzog has tasked rival Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government following last month’s election. But negotiations to secure a majority in the Knesset could take weeks.
The Czech delegation will also include the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, health, sports and prevention, as well as the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army, among other government officials and business representatives.
From Národní třída to Masaryk Square in Tel Aviv
The backlash was quick and swift to criticize the fact that the Prime Minister and a large part of the government will miss next week’s November 17 celebrations – one of Czechia’s most important state holidays celebrating the end of more than four decades of communist and authoritarian rule.
“If they really wanted to be here, on Národní třída, they would probably have found another date,” political scientist Jan Kubáček told Blesk. “If members of the government want to commemorate November 17, they can just as well commemorate it on Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Square in Tel Aviv,” he argued.
Justifying his decision, the PM said that the Czech government had been waiting for an invitation from Israel for a long time and had no choice regarding the date, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reports.
“I am sorry that this year I will not be able to go to Národní třída on November 17, where I normally go every year. On the other hand, it may contribute to calming the tense situation.”
In his stead, the government will be represented next Tuesday by Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček and Finance Minister Alena Schillerová – both from the ruling ANO party.
‘Cowardice and hypocrisy’
By this, Babiš was referring to the growing wave of public anger over the government’s plans to fund public media directly from the state budget – a move that has sparked fears of political interference and media takeover.
“To leave your own country as prime minister for the most important holiday of freedom and democracy on November 17? That is the definition of cowardice and hypocrisy,” slammed ODS chairman and opposition leader Martin Kupka.
Meanwhile, up to a quarter million people are expected to join a mass anti-government protest on Prague’s Letná plain on Sunday, November 15.
And Babiš himself has tended to be confronted with a somewhat unwelcome crowd on Národní třída during past November 17 celebrations, including boos and cries of “Shame!” and “StB!” last year.
In 2018 during his first term, critics also suggested the PM tried to avoid crowds by visiting the commemorative site just after midnight.
