In an unusual announcement, the Prime Minister's Office reported that Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli was required to cancel his trip to Brussels "in light of concrete warnings, and in accordance with the guidance of security officials." The Prime Minister's Office did not disclose the specific suspicion that led to the dramatic decision to prevent Chikli from flying to an event at the European Parliament in the Belgian capital, where he was also expected to meet with the city's Jewish community.
"I regretted receiving instructions from security officials this evening to cancel my participation in the International Holocaust Remembrance Day events at the European Parliament. Unfortunately, the capital of Europe has become an unsafe place for Jews and Israelis," Chikli said Sunday night.
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Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli canceled a visit to Brussels 'in light of concrete warnings'
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
However, the Hind Rajab Foundation, which repeatedly files complaints against IDF soldiers around the world, claimed that Chikli avoided the visit because he was "evading prosecution." A post on the X platform published by the foundation read: "The minister who threatened HRF chairman Dyab Aboujahjah canceled a visit to Brussels, citing 'security concerns.' We are convinced that this decision has more to do with avoiding justice and legal action. The Hind Rajab Foundation will continue its efforts to End Impunity."
Recently, the foundation has targeted soldiers and filed counter-complaints claiming that "crimes against humanity" were committed in the war in Gaza. Two weeks ago, the same pro-Palestinian organization made its first attempt to arrest an IDF general, when it submitted a request to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for the arrest of Major General Ghassan Alian, the coordinator of government activities in the territories (COGAT).
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At the same time, there was no significant fear that the minister would be arrested, so it could be that this is a security threat. Nor is anyone known to have threatened to file a lawsuit against the minister, since he is not a commander in the army and there is no arrest warrant against him from The Hague - unlike Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. In addition, a lawsuit filed in Belgium against the IDF attaché did not progress due to his immunity.
The chairman of the European Jewish Organizations Association (EJA), Rabbi Menachem Margolin, said in response: "The fact that even today, 80 years after the Holocaust, an Israeli minister is forced to cancel a visit to a Western country for security reasons indicates more than anything that all the leaders' 'Never Again' declarations are empty of serious commitment. This year's International Holocaust Remembrance Day will be the saddest since the Holocaust."