EU Mulls Canceling Speeches at Europe Day Event Amid Controversy Over Israeli Minister’s Attendance

The European Union is reportedly considering canceling speeches at an upcoming event celebrating Europe Day in light of a planned address by Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The ultranationalist leader of the Otzma Yehudit party has been invited to attend the event, but many European ambassadors fear that he will use the platform to legitimize his far-right views. Some ambassadors are proposing to lower the level of representation at the event to send a clear message of rejection to Ben-Gvir. The EU envoys will hold a meeting on Monday to make a final decision on the matter.

Due to governmental protocol, Ben-Gvir cannot be replaced unless he decides to back out. There is little chance that Israeli Premier Binyamin Netanyahu can convince him to step aside as ongoing tension between the two means they are no longer directly in contact.

In response, Ben-Gvir confirmed that he intends to go forward with the speech, saying, “Even if the representatives of the Union do not support his views, they understand very well that Israel is a democracy and, in a democracy, it is allowed to hear different opinions.”

Europe Day celebrates peace and unity in Europe on the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, a statement by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in 1950 that proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community, which fostered European economic cooperation and laid the foundation for the eventual establishment of the European Union. Ben-Gvir’s attendance at the event has sparked intense criticism at home and abroad over his provocative actions and statements against Palestinians, Arab Israelis, left-wingers, and the international community.