It was hard to imagine Egypt having a new capital. I love Cairo – for its built-in chaos, bustling streets, and markets, constant hustle and traffic, the vast Nile River, its mosques, restaurants, clubs, palaces, and slums, as well as its cinemas, newsstands, and books. I did not think Cairo could be replaced. 

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I first visited the city in 1986 as an Arab affairs correspondent for Army Radio, almost a decade after the historic visit by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Jerusalem. Cairo was very different back then: neglected, dirty, congested, and outdated. Even luxury hotels had poor service and infrastructure. Phone lines barely worked and every call had an unbearable noise in the background before being cut off. And driving anywhere took hours due to the congestion. 

Since then, I have visited Cairo many times: during negotiations for the Oslo Accords, the Egyptian revolution that resulted in the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the protests that led to the ouster of Mohamed Morsi.

Each time I saw Egypt improve: new bridges made traffic faster and the building of green spaces tackled the population density. 

In recent years I have also witnessed the beginning of the restoration of historic Cairo. The countless beggars who made every visit to the city's important sites a nightmare were banished. Under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's rule, Cairo became safer. He was the one who ordered the horrific slums in the heart of the city to be cleared, and in their place business and residential towers were built.

El-Sissi also tackled the over two million illegal and ugly red brick residential buildings that had sprung up not only in the capital but throughout all of Egypt, particularly during the Arab Spring. 

Dozens of them have collapsed in recent years, killing the residents, which is why Egypt is desperate for a housing alternative. Add to that the country's relentless population growth – a yearly increase of two million people adding to the current 113 million Egyptians living in the country. Egypt is the most populous country in the Middle East, and 14th most populous in the world. 

The government's efforts to implement "family planning" – a.k.a. to decrease the birth rate – have failed so far. 

Officially, the New Administrative Capital is supposed to help solve the housing crisis. It is, by the way, only one of 15 new cities that Egypt plans to build – several of which are in the advanced stages of implementation – to significantly expand the uninhabited areas in the country, such as the initiative taken in various areas of the Sinai Peninsula after it was restored to Egyptian sovereignty in 1982.

Only about 10% of Egyptian territory is inhabited and used today – in the Nile Valley, in the Delta, and along the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. As part of Egypt's Vision 2030, a program similar to Saudi Arabia's, the government seeks to make the wasteland bloom using advanced technologies.

Only Cairo does not have the money Riyadh does, and as such must rely on others. However, one of the successes of the vision is New Alamein built near the scene of the turning point of the North African campaign in World War II.

The construction of New Alamein began in 2018, at the same time as the construction of the yet-to-be-named New Administrative Capital. Located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northwest of Cairo, New Alamein is intended to become a massive tourist city, one that will reduce pressure on Alexandria, the summer city located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away.

And New Alamein is a tourist city indeed: its hotels built along the pristine seashores hosted thousands of tourists this summer – locals and foreigners, mainly from around the Arab world, who traveled to the New Alamein Festival, considered the largest entertainment event in the Middle East, with the participation of the best artists of the Arab world. Egyptian authorities estimated that around a million people attended the festival.

In addition to the entertainment events, el-Sisi put the New Alamein on the political map, when he held a series of important political meetings in his new palace in the city, with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Palestinian Authority, as well as a tripartite summit with King Abdullah of Jordan and PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

The palace serves as one of el-Sissi's summer palaces, and the high cost of its construction was and still is subject to public criticism. And yet, the new capital is the "flagship" of the Egyptian president's ambitious development plans.

A capital without a name

Ancient Egyptians called their homeland Kemet, meaning "black land," referring to the dark, fertile soil left behind after flooding from the Nile River, in contrast to the vast desert land around. Soon this forgotten name might come back to use.

A few months ago, the Egyptian government held a poll to find out what the people wanted their new capital – being built between Cairo and the port city of Suez – to be called and Kemet ranked at the top of the list.

In July 2019, four years after el-Sissi first announced the building of a new capital, a competition was launched to choose a name for the city, with the winner to be awarded 75,000 Egyptian pounds (which was $4,500 back then but only $2,400 now).

Despite its popularity, however, "Kemet" is unlikely to be chosen as the conditions of the competition stipulate that the name of the capital must be in Arabic, reflect Egypt's identity, be simple, include two words at most, and not be associated with politics or religion.

The competition ended on Aug. 17, 2019, a month and a half after it was announced. Four years have passed since then and there is still no name for the new capital, whose official dedication ceremony was repeatedly postponed due to non-compliance with the construction schedules.

Other proposed names include Al Mustaqbal (future) and Al Salam (peace). It is possible, however, that the new city will be named Masr, as "Egypt" is pronounced in Egyptian, to reflect how it will embody the entire country. In fact, Cairo is sometimes referred to as Masr.

The popularity of the name Kemet seems to indicate the desire of many Egyptians to maintain a close connection with the country's pharaonic past, and not just its Islamic heritage, as well as with Egypt's association with Africa, rather than the Middle East alone.

During its short reign, the Muslim Brotherhood sought – along with the extremists – to destroy the pharaonic sites that they viewed as idolatrous. One of their ideas at the time was to cover the pyramids with sand. Such crazy initiatives were one of the factors that pushed the Egyptian people to revolt a decade ago against the first elected democratic government in the country's history.

Another proposal suggested naming the new capital after its founder, i.e. el-Sissi, the same way Washington is named after the first President of the United States George Washington.

Interestingly, Egypt is one of 12 countries that changed their capitals in modern times, including Russia, Pakistan, Brazil, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, Ivory Coast, Tanzania and Indonesia.

Larger than Singapore

Many questions, however, remain around the ambitious – and did I mention expensive – construction. The cost is currently estimated at about 60 billion dollars. Critics question whether Egypt – mired in a deep economic crisis and major debts – can afford such extravagant spending or would be better off directing the funds elsewhere.

In addition, many civil servants – who will now need to move to the new city to continue work – wonder whether they will be able to afford to live there with an average salary of around 300 dollars.

Furthermore, when will the new capital really start to function, if simple officials have to travel to their jobs for about two hours one way every day, while the high-speed train line that will connect the old and the new capitals, is still under construction?

What is really behind the transfer of the capital - a desire to alleviate the pressure on Cairo due to its increasing population (over 20 million people), allowing for its rehabilitation, or a desire to secure the nerve centers of the government against another potential popular uprising, the kind that shook Egypt at the beginning of the Arab Spring and led to Mubarak's ouster?

And what will happen to Cairo, or as the Egyptians call it, Um al-Dunya, the Mother of the World? The city that has served as the country's capital for over 1,000 years? Home to the pyramids and the renowned Al-Azhar University. The city that houses the Arab League headquarters and that has served as a source of inspiration for writers, poets, and directors for so long. The city that Nobel laureate and Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz described as "the Star of the East" and "the Voice of the Nation." Unfortunately, so far there are no official answers on the matter.

The new capital, however, is described as one that will help strengthen and diversify Egypt's economic potential by creating more opportunities for life, work, and travel.

According to the Administrative Capital Urban Development Company (ACUD) that manages the construction, the capital city will cover 725 square kilometers (279 square miles), slightly larger than Singapore, four times larger than Washington DC, and six times the size of Jerusalem. Of that, 490 square kilometers (189 square miles) will be devoted to development. The new capital is expected to house 6.5 million people in 21 residential areas. It will create 1,750,000 permanent jobs and include 650 kilometers (400 miles) of roads and a modern airport.

It will be a smart city built on a strategic vision, with the most advanced technological infrastructures to provide services to the residents who will live there and to the citizens and visitors who will come to visit.

It will have a smart traffic control system, which will monitor the formation of traffic jams and accidents, traffic lights, and crossings. Over 6,000 surveillance cameras will be installed throughout the city, with the footage to be transferred to a surveillance center that will be responsible, among other things, for security and order in the streets.

The new capital will also have a smart management of electricity, gas, and water supplies to reduce consumption and costs. Homes and buildings will be equipped with systems that will automatically identify options to save on the use of resources and prevent damage to the environment as much as possible. Solar energy will also play a central role as the city will have panels installed and 90 square kilometers (34 square miles) of "solar energy farms".

The buildings in the city, public and private, will be connected to exceptionally fast digital networks. In addition, it will have so-called "green river" urban parks spanning over 35 square kilometers (13 square miles) – to extend along the entirety of the new capital and represent the Nile River. Its water will be replaced by rich vegetation and artificial lakes and streams. The size of such a park will be six times the size of Central Park in New York.

The way to the capital

There are several ways to get from Cairo to the new administrative capital. One of them is the road that passes through the 6th October Bridge, which is 20.5 kilometers long – about halfway between the two cities. The road passes through the center of Cairo, near Tahrir Square, where millions of Egyptians protested against Mubarak's regime and later against Morsi's government. Next to it are located the main train station at Ramses Square and Ain Shams University.

I passed several magnificent government offices that were built not long ago for a lavish price, such as the Finance Ministry and the Foreign Ministry on the banks of the Nile, inaugurated in the mid-1990s, which is still considered – with 43 flights – the highest functioning building in Egypt.

What will become of these beautiful buildings once the new capital begins to function? Some say that the 30 government offices, which will move to the new city, will open at the new location at the end of the summer. Foreign diplomats who are invited by the Foreign Ministry are already being sent to the new capital. Dozens of countries have purchased land in the future embassy quarter, although none have moved there yet.

What will happen to the existing embassies? Some of them are housed in luxurious villas, most of which have recently undergone a thorough renovation as part of the restoration of historic Cairo – like the many embassies located in the bourgeois neighborhood of Zamalek on one of the islands in the middle of the Nile.

From the 6th October Bridge, which was built to commemorate the Egyptian "victory" in the Yom Kippur War, the road continues through the suburban towns that were also built starting in the 1970s to solve the housing crisis in Cairo, mainly for the more established class.

One of the ways Egypt is covering expenses for the building of the new capital is by taking fees from every visitor to the city.

Payment is still made in bank notes, but in the future, digital payments will also be possible. By the way, in some of the sites in Cairo, it is no longer possible to pay cash.

The roads leading to the new capital, the main of which has 12 routes, pass through the magnificent gates that stand at the entrance to the government-business-cultural complex. This will be the bustling heart of the new city: a pair of arched gates, made of marble in an Islamic architectural style, and fountains and an ornate marble plaza surrounding them.

Already from the impressive entrance gates, one can tell the intense construction boom throughout the intended capital: trucks, bulldozers, cranes, pipes, beams, construction workers, and gardeners. Here and there, transportation stations for workers were also established, reminiscent of Cairo in its chaotic nature.

Some here are Egyptians, who are not involved in the construction of the capital. Those who accompanied me were also amazed at what they saw: the future capital of Egypt is a pharaonic project in its scope and character. This is not only in terms of the vast area – most of which is still not built but also because of the bold and visionary urban planning and the breathtaking construction style.

In part, it deliberately recalls the magnificent buildings of the pharaohs - temples, pyramids, obelisks. The new capital of Egypt, if and when it is completed, will radiate the power of a country that wants to be seen as great, strong, and prosperous, just as pharaonic Egypt was.

Guinness World Record

The first enormous building that comes into view upon entering the city is the Al-Fattah Al-Aleem Mosque, the second largest mosque in Egypt built upon a total area of 450,000 square meters. The mosque, the construction of which was completed in only 15 months and inaugurated by el-Sissi in January 2019, has a maximum capacity of 17,000 worshipers.

The massive building, surrounded by four tall muezzin towers (95 meters, or yards, each) built in the best of the Fatimid architecture tradition (a Shiite dynasty that ruled Egypt between the 10th and 12th centuries and made Cairo the capital of Egypt) is built exclusively of Egyptian marble by Egyptian workers. A large dome was built in the center of the mosque – the largest in all of Africa – 44 meters (yards) high and weighing 5,000 tons. It is surrounded by 20 smaller domes.

A huge crystal chandelier descends from the dome into the interior of the mosque. According to the information provided to me, this mosque is currently open to the general public only three times a year. Like the Islamic Culture Center, the largest mosque in the country, located in the heart of the new capital and overlooking it from a hill.

It can house 13,000 worshippers, both men and women, and is also the largest mosque in Africa and one of the largest in the Middle East and the entire Islamic world. It was built in the Mamluk style, a sultanate that ruled Egypt between the 13th century and the beginning of the 16th century. Hundreds of marble steps lead to the top of the hill on which lies the mosque square, combining different Islamic architectural styles as a symbol of the unity of Islam.

The mosque is home to the world's heaviest (50 tons) and largest (22 meters or yards) chandelier in the world, already included in the Guinness Book of World Records. Its walls are engraved with the chapters of the Quran. It was inaugurated on the first day of the recent month of Ramadan by el-Sissi and a long line of distinguished people.

Officially, the construction cost of the mosque was 800 million Egyptian pounds ($26 million). Even this magnificent work, which was intended to project to the world Egypt's status as an Islamic religious center, provoked strong criticism.

We don't need fancy mosques when the common people don't have money to buy food, say the president's critics.

Coptic Orthodox community

The mosque also overlooks the Cathedral of the Nativity, the largest ecclesiastical building in the Middle East, designed to serve the members of the Coptic Orthodox community, the largest Christian community in Egypt. About 10% of Egypt's residents – over 10 million people – are Christians. After the terrorist attacks carried out in churches in Cairo in December 2016, in which 27 Christians were killed, el-Sissi decided to build the Al-Fath Mosque and the cathedral at the same time, to create a symbol of religious coexistence and national unity in Egypt.

The interior of the spectacular cathedral – designed to resemble the interior of Noah's Ark and seat 8,000 people – is still in the final stages of construction. One of the workers tells me that by the coming Coptic Christmas, in January, the work on the massive structure will be completed. Some 1,600 mosques and churches will be built in the new Egyptian capital. A synagogue, by the way, is not yet in the plans, as there are almost no Jews left in Egypt.

Next to the cathedral, I notice the concrete pillars for the high-speed train that will connect Cairo with the new capital. It will be, you guessed it, the longest driverless train line in the world: 56.5 kilometers (35 miles), 22 stations, and an hour's ride to east Cairo. The line should be operational in 2024. Inshallah, as the locals say.

The most impressive part of the new capital is the district of the government offices with its buildings, reminiscent of pharaonic temples, some of which feature signs from the days of ancient Egypt. Nearby is the People's Square, in the center of which will fly the highest flag in the world (201.95 meters or yards). The fact that it is not displayed during my visit to the city, indicates that the capital is not yet active.

And there is also the imperfect avenue of military parades at the entrance of the huge presidential palace, to which there is no access. In the heart of the business district, among dozens of skyscrapers under construction, stands the Iconic Tower, with its 77 floors and 393.8 meters (yards), it is the tallest building in Africa. The modern structure was built inspired by pharaonic obelisks and the crown of the Egyptian god Amun by the China State Construction Engineering. China also financed the project.

Like the Gulf

In contrast to the urban area of the new capital, the financial district where the main offices of all Egyptian banks are located seems ready for immediate operation. There will also be an education district with branches of well-known universities, as well as technology, innovation, and sports districts, with the latter housing a stadium with 93,440 seats, which - along with the planned "Olympic City" – should allow Egypt to compete for hosting the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup.

There will also be districts for communications, art, entertainment, and an amusement park four times the size of Disneyland, and of course, the octagon that will house the new Defense Ministry and Egypt's Strategic Command Center - the largest security command complex in the Middle East.

Some 40,000 hotel rooms will be built in the capital. In the meantime, only The St. Regis Hotel, of the Marriott chain, is active. The luxury in its halls and rooms is reminiscent of that of the most prestigious hotels in the Gulf. Occupancy there is extremely low, and because of that the prices are also affordable: 160 dollars per night, compared to 450 at the St. Regis hotel in Cairo, which is bursting with tourists, mainly from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries, as it does every summer.

The hotel has three deluxe restaurants, three pools, artificial lakes, a conference hall, a cinema, and a commercial center, part of which was built like the alleys of the Khan el-Khalili market. Occasionally, weddings fill the space a little, but tourists hardly ever come to the new capital, which is still a ghost town. One can only hope that the hotel will be able to preserve its splendor until the new capital really begins to function and will attract businessmen, investors, bankers, diplomats, statesmen, and artists.

And yet, despite all this, and also in view of the breathtaking neo-pharaonic splendor and the innovative and futuristic vision of the new Egyptian capital, after spending two days in the nascent capital city, I have no doubt that it will not replace Cairo.

Cairo will remain the mother of the world, in the minds and hearts of all those who love her.

The post Move over, Cairo: Egypt's new capital draws awe as well as criticism appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

George Simion is one of the most famous names in Romanian politics at the moment. The 36-year-old politician founded his right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians faction a mere three and a half years ago but is already considered a major threat ahead of the elections for the presidency, the Chamber of Deputies, the municipal authorities and the European Parliament, to be held in 2024. 

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In the previous general elections, which were held about a year and a half after the establishment of the AUR, the party received a tenth of all the parliament seats, becoming the fourth largest faction. 

Video: PM Netanyahu meets with Romania's prime minister (2019) / Credit: GPO

Romania suffers from chronic political instability having had 11 governments in the past decade, mainly due to a divided political map, affairs, scandals as well as a difficult economic situation. The strongest faction in the country is still the Social Democratic Party, a member of the National Liberals, the second largest in the parliament. The rotation between the heads of the parties, which was postponed due to the waves of protest and strikes by the country's teachers, took place this week, and despite the withdrawal of one of the coalition parties, the new government won the confidence of 290 out of 465 members of parliament.

The four basic tenets of the AUR are family, nation, Christianity, and freedom. Behind Simion's desk, a window was designed as a map of Greater Romania, which also includes Moldova, and indeed the faction advocates for the unification of the two nations as used to be under the Kingdom of Romania. This, among others, is why Simion and the AUR are claimed by their opponents to be neo-fascist and pro-Russian. 

The AUR defines itself as patriotic and Christian-democratic, seeks to protect the rights of Romanians, values religion, and opposes "gender ideology" and abortion. 

The faction is currently trying to be accepted into the ranks of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party, a faction of right-wing European parties currently headed by the Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni, and since the Romanian media is mostly mobilized on the side of the political establishment, the party has made social networks its main means of conveying messages. 

Simion, "a guy from the hood" who has cultivated an image of a sincere and honest politician, lives with his wife in a modest apartment in Bucharest and reportedly donates 90% of his salary every month to charities. 

In local politics, which is seen as corrupt to the core, Simion is a refreshing change. He may run for the presidency or set his eyes on the premiership. 

Romania's loss 

Simion's political opponents say he and his party are ideologically similar to the antisemitic regime of the dictator former Prime Minister of Romania Ion Antonescu and his allies, the so-called "legionaries" from the Iron Guard that was responsible for the death of Romanian Jews during the Holocaust. About 400,000 Romanian Jews were murdered by Nazi collaborators in Romania and in areas under its control.

It took Romania a long time to accept responsibility for its crimes against the Jews, which also continued under the communist regime. Despite the accusations against Simion, he has no history of antisemitic remarks and makes sure to remove from the ranks of his party any elected official with extremist behavior. In the past, he visited Israel privately and hopes to make an official visit soon. 

Jerusalem is still unsure about Simion and the AUR, as there are other sovereign right-wing parties in Europe that are getting stronger politically. In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom, Simion sought to clarify his positions regarding Jews, the Holocaust, and Israel.

Q: Israelis of Romanian origin are often encouraged to get their Romanian citizenship. And you and your party have called on the return of all Romanians to the country. Do you consider these Israelis Romanians as well? 

"Of course. There were times in our history when we were a large and respected country in the international arena. Many Jews of Romanian origin helped us win this recognition. For example, Ana Aslan (a biologist and physicist) who invented the Gerovital (anti-aging drug), which helps a lot for medical tourism in Romania. The many Jews who left Romania in the 1960s and 1970s are, in my opinion, a great loss for us. Now we barely have 10,000-20,000 Jews living here. We had excellent ties. Minorities can help us become a more diverse and richer society."

Q: Do you mean religious minorities? abo

"As well as national ones. We have Serbs, Hungarians, Ukrainians, and Russians who fled from the tsar but say they are Tatars or Turks. It's good that we are not alone. Every people and nation has its characteristics. At a time when we were a large country, between the two world wars, you – the Jews – helped us. We recently celebrated in the Romanian parliament 75 years since the recognition of the State of Israel and the establishment of diplomatic tiwa between Romania and Israel in the presence of the Speaker of the Knesset" Amir Ohana. 

Interestingly, Romania was the only communist country that did not sever ties with Israel after the 1967 Six-Day War. 

Today "there's a problem in the ties between us, it is related to the memory of the Holocaust. This issue has been hijacked by a group of people who are looking to make gains. These people are causing a lot of damage because we are a party that will most likely be a member of the government in Romania, and we can be friends with Israel from a position of power. I am sure, from everything I see in the international arena, that Israel needs friends. In my vision of the future, I am interested in properly using the 800,000 Israeli citizens of Romanian origin. This is an opportunity we are not taking advantage of."

Holocaust should not be part of political games

Simion does not take kindly to the fact that some in Romania demand that Jewish history and the Holocaust be taught in all high schools as separate compulsory subjects – such as language, history, and geography - and even passed a law on the matter. 

"True, there are a small number of lunatics here who claim that the Holocaust did not happen," he said. "But besides them, no one in Romania denies that this is one of the most terrible events in the history of mankind.

"We said that it is desirable to teach the subject as part of Romanian history classes because it is part of our history and that is how it should be taught. They have pushed the matter too far, so that there will be separate classes on Jewish history, and I don't think that is good in the long run.

"Today we do not have antisemitic feelings in our society, and we have to fight so that there are no such feelings. Israel's enemies spread antisemitism by claiming that you are the rulers of the world. When you go to school and do not learn about the history of Romania, but you have mandatory lessons about the history of the Jews, it may backfire. Several groups in Romania are pushing this agenda for personal gain, and we have heard accusations against our party. Holocaust memory should not be part of the political game under any circumstances."

Q: Do you recognize the responsibility of the Romanian state for the crimes committed against Jews in World War II?

"No one is denying it. This was the Romanian state, even if it was led by a dictator."

Q: There were pogroms and anti-Jewish laws even before the time of Antonescu, as early as 1938.

"Indeed, there was antisemitic legislation carried out by King Carol II. He was a dictator, Antonescu was a dictator, [former President of Romania Nicolae] Ceausescu was a dictator. We lived under several dictatorships. There were then ethnic problems and many antisemitic attitudes in our society. Fortunately, today there are no such attitudes, and we need to find the right path to prevent their reemergence."

Q: Those who admire war criminals like Antonescu and other dictators are not allowed to join your party? 

"There are admirers in Romania of Ceausescu, of Antonescu, of Zelea Codreanu (the founder of the Iron Guard). I do not admire any of them. But if we try to dictate to people how to think and conduct a witch hunt, we will revive the past. Our party was founded in 2019, on Romania's national holiday. We are interested in the future, not in a witch hunt."

Q: But you yourself have explicitly stated that Antonescu was a war criminal. 

"Yes, according to an ethical and legal definition."

Q: Laws are not necessarily always enforced in Romania, which is the responsibility of the government. If you end up in the government, will you implement the laws against the veneration of war criminals or against naming streets and memorial sites after them?

"After 2001, no more streets or sites bear Antonescu's name. Maybe you can find somewhere a memorial plaque with his name from those days, but the issue is quite closed. The law must be enforced in all areas of Romania, but it is important not to abuse the issue because it will lead to antisemitism that we are not interested in. There are parts of the Romanian population that look favorably on Antonescu, Ceausescu, and other dictators. Not necessarily for antisemitic reasons but because they were the rulers, and some people believe that under their leadership Romania was better off. So we have to be careful not to provoke these feelings.

"I regret that there are no Jews here in large numbers. Romanians could not leave the country under the communist regime. Had they been able to, they would have left and paid money to do it." 

Q: Is your party willing to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism? 

"I have not yet read this document. I understand that it also refers to certain negative attitudes towards the State of Israel. We recognize Israel and we can be its official partner. You can count on our friendship with Israel if correct relations exist between the two sides."

Q: Right behind you are the flags of Romania and the European Union. We know that there are Romanian minorities in neighboring countries that are members of the EU. Are you thinking about changing borders within the EU? 

"We respect all international treaties. The only country with which we can change the border is Moldova. Both sides are interested in it. The last clause of the Détente agreements adopted in Helsinki in 1975 stated that if a country wants to unite with an existing country or separate from an existing country, it can be done by agreement of both sides. We want minority rights to be respected everywhere. For example, in Ukraine – half a million Romanians live there.

"We are a model for respecting the rights of minorities. We have Jews, Slovaks, Hungarians and gypsies in the parliament. There are schools for Serbs and Ukrainians. They have their own churches, which receive government support. We want these opportunities to be given to Romanians who live in neighboring countries, as well as in Italy, France or Spain – their own schools and churches, the right to use their own language."

Q: Regarding Moldova, if Russia invades it, will it be an incentive for the union between Romania and Moldova?

"Assuming that's what the citizens of Moldova want. Maybe some of them, who still think of the Russian empire, will change their minds when they see these criminals in action. These are criminals. We'll see what happens. It's hard to predict public opinion."

Q: There's also fears that Russia could expand its war. Do you think Romania might be a target?

"We are members of NATO. We don't think Russia, which is weak now, will attack a NATO member. We must promote peace by all means."

Q: And if the war does expand, is Romania ready?

"NATO is the largest and most powerful military alliance, and I'm sure it will have no problem dealing with such a scenario, which I don't think will happen."

Q: And with regard to your party, how would you define it? 

"A patriotic party that remembers the words of Donald Trump, who said that the fight is now between globalists and patriots. We are patriots."

Q: It's not often these days that you hear someone quoting the former US president. 

"It might be uncommon, but his words were true. My feeling is that we are fighting the same adversaries – the Left and the extreme Left, who are trying to promote an agenda and abolish the idea of nations. Trump made some bad statements and behaved badly at times, but he also had the right statements. I will always prefer Trump over Biden."

The post 'The Holocaust should not be part of the political game': Romania's 36-year-old right-wing lawmaker makes waves appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Heinz Böhme met Ludwig Jonas all the way back in 1984. Böhme, then a doctor in his 50s, decided to organize all the art brochures and catalogs he had collected during his many trips to conferences and lectures around the world. As he was throwing out a heap he deemed unimportant, a red catalog caught his eye. 

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Böhme pulled it out of the bin. On the cover of the brochure the name "Jonas'' appeared in white, that of a fairly unknown painter at the time, and on the pages of the catalog, pictures of an exhibition held in Berlin under the auspices of the Israeli Embassy in Germany, including photographs of the artist's paintings. The unconventional way how the works were presented piqued Böhme's curiosity and made him wonder who Jonas was.

Jonas' biography revealed that he and Böhme had a few things in common. Böhme was mainly interested in the fact that Jonas - a Jew born in 1887 in Bromberg, which was in East Prussia at the end of the 19th century and is now part of Poland - studied medicine like him, but decided to abandon the promising profession in favor of developing his skills as a painter.

In 1909, Jonas joined the School of Applied Arts in Berlin, studied with some of the greatest German painters of the time, continued his studies in Paris, and after World War I, when he served as a volunteer in field clinics, became one of the most promising impressionists in Germany.

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Jonas fled to France. From there he immigrated two years later to pre-state Israel and settled in Jerusalem. He continued to paint and exhibit his works, but died of an illness at the early age of 55, more or less around the time Böhme discovered him and his work.

Due to WWII and the persecution of Jews, Jonas' artistic career was cut short and his name was almost completely erased. After his death, his widow Lottie established an art gallery in their Jerusalem home. She would raffle off Jonas' paintings, to encourage local art enthusiasts to visit. In the 1950s the house was demolished, and the gallery moved to another location.

After discovering Jonas' works, "I started looking for his paintings," Böhme, 91, told Israel Hayom. "To date, I have purchased about a dozen of his works. Jonas painted a great many portraits, and faces have always interested me. Perhaps because of my medical practice." It fascinated me how his art career was cut short, and I asked myself whether other artists met the same fate. 

And so, following in the footsteps of Jonas' story, Böhme began a journey of over four decades after the "lost generation" – artists whose professional careers faded in between the two world wars, because they were persecuted by the Nazis for being Jews or were political opponents of the regime. 

Böhme began to acquire the works of these artists at auctions as well as from collectors and relatives. After accumulating several hundred works, he decided to establish in his current city of residence, Salzburg, a museum where his private collection will be displayed, the Museum "Art of the Lost Generation," the only of its kind in Europe.  

His collection consists of about 600 works. Although established five years ago and located in the heart of Salzburg's old city - not far from Mozart's birthplace - this unique museum is almost unknown outside a small circle of enthusiasts. For example, it only recently hosted a senior official of the Salzburg municipality, who learned of the museum's existence from local TV. 

In his almost detective-like research work, Böhme revealed not only the works of the "lost generation," but also their life stories, which often ended in the most tragic way.

One such story is that of Rudolf Levy, who was born in the Prussian city of Stettin (modern-day Poland) in 1875 to a well-established Jewish family. He moved to Berlin, where he first worked as a carpenter before enrolling at the age of 20 at the art academy in Karlsruhe, and later at a private painting school in Munich, where he met, among others, the renowned painter of his generation, Paul Klee. Later, Levy continued his studies at Henri Matisse's studio in Paris.

In WWI, Levy volunteered in the German military and fought in its ranks on French soil. After the war, he established his own painting school in Berlin, but when the Nazis came to power he left the country. Many of his paintings were defined by the Nazis as "degenerate art" and confiscated. Levy came to the United States, but before WWII returned to Europe yet again, and when the war broke out he found himself in Italy unable to leave due to financial reasons.

Despite his friends' warnings, he continued to appear in public, and in 1943, was arrested after being captured in Florence by Gestapo agents posing as art dealers. In January 1944, Levy was transferred to a concentration camp in northern Italy, which was a transit camp to Auschwitz.

Samuel Solomonovich Granovsky, born in 1889 in the city now known as Dnipro in Ukraine, studied painting in Odesa and Munich, and in 1910 settled in Montparnasse, the artists' quarter of Paris at the time. Alongside his work as a painter, he was also a model for other painters and earned a living as a cleaner in a cafe.

Granovsky quickly became known as a talented painter, mainly thanks to his nude paintings, and he was very active in various artist circles in the City of Light. In 1942, he was arrested by the French police as part of the Vel' d'Hiv' Roundup – the most extensive arrest operation of Jews in occupied France – and sent to the Drancy concentration camp, and from there to his death in Auschwitz.

Mommie Schwarz, who was born in 1876 in the Netherlands, also studied painting at the Royal Academy of Arts in Antwerp and was considered a promising abstract painter, when he was arrested with his wife by the Nazis in Amsterdam in 1942 and murdered a few days later in Auschwitz.

And there is also the story of Martha Bernstein, daughter of Julius Bernstein, professor of physiology and rector of Halle University in Germany, and of pianist Sophia Levy.

Born in 1874, Bernstein grew up in Imperial Germany, which did not allow women to study painting in higher education institutions and state academies, but only in private schools, and where a woman choosing a career as a painter was extremely frowned upon. 

She first studied at a private school in Munich, and from there she moved to Paris, which embraced female painters from all over Europe, and she also studied at the Matisse Academy. When she returned to Berlin she joined the Secession, an artistic protest movement against institutional art, and was a significant part of the modernist movement in German art.

In 1923, Bernstein married conductor Max Christian Neuhaus, who later became the music editor of the Nazi newspaper Völkischer Beobachter. She was persecuted by the Nazis for being Jewish and a painter and managed to find refuge in Switzerland, where one of her two brothers lived. After the end of the war, she returned to Germany, where she died in 1955.

The case of the painter Alfred Schwarzschild is quite unusual: he was born in 1874 to a wealthy Jewish family from Frankfurt. From a young age, he showed artistic talent, and in adulthood, he was sent to study at the art academies of Karlsruhe and Munich. He began exhibiting regularly even before WWI, after which he became a highly sought-after portrait painter among Munich's elite.

His success was interrupted when the Nazis came to power. To make a living, Schwarzschild switched to painting landscape postcards. Thanks to his great talent, the Nazis allowed him to continue this activity, and also ordered postcards from him, on the condition that he would not sign them. In 1936, Schwarzschild managed to immigrate with his family to Britain. For a while, he was detained on the Isle of Man, but upon his release moved to London, where he died in 1948.

His daughter, Theodora Starker, served as a model for the most popular postcards Schwarzschild created for the Nazis. Today, aged 90, she lives in New Zealand, and has transferred her father's entire artistic estate to the Museum "Art of the Lost Generation."

"The primary goal of the museum is to rediscover the works of these artists and present them to the general public," Böhme said. "The creativity of these artists was broken during the Nazi period, and we are bringing it back to life. But what is important, beyond the exposure of the works, is the exposure of the unknown biographies of the artists – what happened to them, what they experienced, and what their fate was. My intention was not only to bring people to the museum to see these works of art, but to teach them about what happened at that time. Through the works and the stories of life, the past can be explained better, and this is our contribution to the present.

"People ask, 'How can we fight antisemitism?' This is one of the ways. To create interest in history in a different way, and not to retell what is already known. Here we create a different basis for coping: with each painting, we tell the accompanying life story, which is sometimes reflected in the painting as well, and people develop different attention. Locating the works takes a lot of time. It's painstaking. We search all over the world.

"Today we have five art historians working with us. There is a person in the US who sends me emails several times a week, with information about places where you can find works by artists from the lost generation. Some people donate works they have in their possession. Some wish to remain anonymous. In the past, these works could be purchased cheaply. Today, they already say at auctions 'If Böhme is interested in it, there is a reason for it', and the prices are rising.

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"It is important to note that we are not a Jewish museum. Most of the artists were Jews, but there are also communist artists and non-Jewish artists who were persecuted by the Nazis. We do not limit ourselves to Jewish artists, nor do we collect works of the well-known artists of the time. I am interested in what happened to the disciples of famous painters. For example, Max Beckmann. Who knows who his disciples were? They are not shown in museums and experts do not know about them. We have collected 90 works by his students, and we are planning an exhibition of them in the coming months."

Although Böhme himself prefers not to highlight this, he too belongs to the "lost generation." He was born in Leipzig in 1932, a few months before the Nazis came to power in Germany. To this day, he does not speak of his family's story during the Holocaust. 

"This collection is also intended to commemorate my family," he said. Böhme also expressed concern for the future of the collection and the museum. "Until now, I have covered all the expenses out of my own pocket. There is no support, not from the Austrian government, not from the state of the province, not from the municipality of Salzburg. This initiative, and the story it conveys, should be passed onto future generations."

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The looks of bewilderment on the faces of my interlocutors kept reappearing. "You are Muslim?," they asked with surprise. 

 At this point, I would find myself updating them on one of the major changes that their country has seen in recent years, as I share with them my experience in Medina, the second-most important city in Islam, where it became a political-religious force. 

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Unlike Mecca, where it is absolutely prohibited for non-Muslims to visit, in Medinah, things changed two years ago, when it was announced that only the area around "The Prophet's Mosque" (where the Prophet Mohammed is buried), was off limits to members who are not in the Islamic faith. After explaining this, Faiza (not her real name), an English teacher, conceded: "The changes in the kingdom are so fast, that it is hard to keep track." Sometimes, they don't even inform the public about a change in policy; it just happens, and that is how they avoid a clash with those who would oppose it. There are quite a lot of people who are not happy with what Saudi Arabia has been going through over the years. They wake up every day to discover a new reality. The process is moving forward too fast, and we have no way of knowing when a forceful counter-reaction will remerge. But for now, Saudi Arabia is experiencing something that would have been inconceivable only a decade ago. "

I spent a total of 10 days in the kingdom, which included the first few days of Ramadan, allowing me to get a cursory experience of one of the most important revolutions that have been taking place in the Middle East: the transformation of Saudi Arabia from a radical and conservative country that is closed to the world, rich in prohibitions and low on personal freedoms to a country that is rapidly opening up to the people and the world and seeks a global leadership position that would take humanity to a better destination that could be described as almost fantastical or even fictional. During those ten days I had to, time and again, deal with the disparity between my preconceived views of Saudi Arabia and the reality that I saw before me. I didn't seek to challenge the traditions and laws; I respected them. However, I found myself challenged on numerous occasions that I had not anticipated. For example: having a woman shopkeeper with a niqab on her head help men shop for clothes. She had no problem engaging me, while I could not escape the thought that there were times that Saudi women were not even allowed to work. Another mind-blowing experience was when I met a local woman painter on the narrow streets of Jedda that painted before my very eyes during the first night of Ramadan the uncovered face of another woman. More than my interlocutors were shocked by my visit to Medina, my visit to Saudi Arabia blew me away. Moreover, as someone who took Islamic history classes in high school and then in college, the visit to the cradle of Islam had a very moving effect on me. 

I made Jeddah my home base. The great port city on the Red Sea has been the gateway for Islamic plagiarism since the 7th century. They arrive every year by land, air, and sea from all four corners of the earth to perform the Islamic precept of the Hajj – visiting Mecca. They often also make a stop in Medina. There are those who make the Umrah, also known as the mini Hajj, outside the official pilgrimage season. Some claim that doing the mini Hajj during Ramadan is equivalent to doing the Hajj. The plane that brought me to Jeddah was full of pilgrims donning the Ihram, the traditional garb that represents purity. The men's are white; the women's Ihram is in the form of colorful dresses and head coverings. 

Most of those on the plane had arrived from Central Asia or the Far East. The flight to the heart of Islam had the appropriate hallmarks: First, a prayer asking Allah for safe travels; then, just before landing, the entire cabin was imbued with passionate religious singing. 

A futuristic train to the past

From Jeddah, you can travel to the two holiest cities in Islam via bus or by The Haramain High-Speed Railway (Haramain means "the two holy places"), which connects Mecca and Medina. It passes through Jedda and the King Abdullah Economic City, a mega-city project that, like many other grand initiatives in the kingdom, could not live up to its ambitious goals. I chose to go by train. This line was officially opened to the public in October 2018. You can buy tickets on the internet for a specific time, and the departures are spot on. 

Digitization in Saudi Arabia's large cities is omnipresent. The train stations in Jeddah and Medina are big, spacious, and air-conditioned. Their architecture is inspired by both Islamic and Western themes, with the passengers swallowed by the immensity. The train is very comfortable, and just like in the plane, one hears a prayer as the ride begins. The 340 km (211 miles) between Jeddah and Medina get traversed in 90 minutes, at times at a speed of 205 mph.".

Judging from what I see from my train window, it looks as if the entire area between the two cities is one big construction site. As part of the Saudi Vision 2030, which Mohammed bin Salman unveiled seven years ago in a large gathering of heavyweight investors from around the world, the project will see that swath of land dotted with high-end medical centers, tourism resorts and hotels, and various mass entertainment venues. 

.Mass entertainment is one of the main pillars of Vision 2030. It is how bin Salman hopes to turn the younger generations more liberal, secular, and modern. Some of those with whom I talked said that this is a modern version of "bread and circuses" that is designed to hide the fact that the kingdom is still governed by one family that does not allow free speech on a lot of issues. 

Others told me that bin Salman could not have affected those major changes without having total control over the country. His uncle King Faisal, who ruled between 1964 and 1975 and was one of the main backers of the Palestine Liberation Organization, was assassinated by one of his nephews after he began liberalizing Saudi society, including by opening schools for girls and introducing household televisions. 

"His assassination," Faiza the English school teacher tells me, "was the first stage in halting modernity in the kingdom. The next stage was when radical Muslims from the Ikhwan ("the brothers") took over the Grand Mosque in Mecca in late 1979, four years after the assassination. Then-king Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud responded by issuing a decree to enforce Islamic law more forcefully and gave more powers to the most conservative clerics and to the most extreme elements of the morality police. Now we have finally begun to turn back the clock, in a good way; we are now reverting to what we used to be in the 1970s."

Just before I arrived, bin Salman managed to stir controversy among radical elements when he announced the building of a futuristic center in the capital Riyadh that will include various housing units, hotels, restaurants, stores, and entertainment venues. The anger was due to the external features of the proposed structure: It has a striking resemblance to the Honored Kaaba in Mecca. The project's name also doesn't leave much in the way of imagination: Mukaab, which means, the cube, whose dimensions are the equivalent of 20 Empire State Buildings and has a golden cover. 

Social media was replete with harsh criticism over how a new Kaaba was being built "that would celebrate capitalism.

Pilgrimage tourism

As noted, the only place where non-Muslims are still banned in Medina is the Prophet's Mosque area. It was originally built by the Prophet Muhammad himself shortly after he had made his journey from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, in what is the first year in the Islamic calendar. Despite not being allowed to come close, the view of the mosque and hustle and bustle around it is clearly in sight, despite the fence that walls off the area. When traveling by plane over the Haram (forbidden) place on board the local airline Saudia, the PA system carried a special prayer for the passengers.

The area of the mosque is surrounded by wide boulevards with impressive buildings that fuse modern and oriental architecture. The city is teeming with pilgrims who create a mosaic of colorful traditional garbs from Africa, the Far East, and Central Asia, along with the white Ihram. Police presence is minimal. 

The morality police, formally known as The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, was nowhere to be seen. That body's job is to enforce the modest appearance of people in public – especially women – and to avoid mingling of the sexes and quashing of Western traditions, as well as enforce participation in daily prayers. Over the years, it has on occasion used force to carry out its duties, but ever since bin Salman launched his reforms it has all but ceased its activities. 

Its expansive powers have been stripped to a large extent, and many of the prohibitions that had been long enforced were lifted – including the ban on women obtaining a driver's license. In Medina, you could see fewer women drivers than in Jeddah, and generally speaking, the atmosphere in the city is more conservative. Almost all of the shops in Medina close down during prayers and in most of the restaurants there is still a separate entry for each gender, as well as segregated areas for unmarried men and families. The city maintains its tradition, but it also has a whiff of Western consumerism in its character. Gone are the days when the elder religious men could issue Fatwas (religious decrees) against Barbie dolls because they are "Jewish" or call for the murder of Mickey Mouse. The big shopping centers dotting the city offer every possible toy, and there is also an option of going to the movies to see a 3D feature film on the life of the prophet in the modern theater complex. 

It is Medina, which is often called Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah ("The Enlightened City"), where Muhammad turned from a preacher to a respected political and religious leader, no longer mocked by his fellow Mecca residents. It is in Medina where he convinced most of the local Arab tribes to convert to Islam and where he successfully amassed a unified military force that served as the main contingent with which he captured the entire Arab peninsula. It is in Medina where the conflict between Islam and the Jews began. One of the main attractions in the city is the tourist bus whose first stop is near the Prophet's Mosque. It then continues to 11 additional ones, including the 9th one, where the story of the Battle of the Trench. This is where, according to Islam, the Jews of the city betrayed Muhammad and the rest of Medina. The Jewish presence in the city when he arrived there had been very noticeable: three big Jewish tribes probably controlled key areas of the city. But, according to tradition, Muhammad was struck by how much infighting there was between them, and he went on to take advantage of these divisions and expelled the Jews one after another on the pretext that they had been conspiring against him. Their only sin was that they refused to convert.  

The riders of the bus hear during the tour that the Jews of Medina betrayed Muhammad and the local city tribes who hosted them. The tour also accuses the Jews of turning to Mecca residents and advising them to attack Medina. Muhammad adopted a tactic that was uncommon at the time in the Arabian Peninsula: he dug up trenches around the city and inside so that the attacks would not be able to use their cavalry of horses and camels.  During the last phase of the siege, which failed, Muhammad – the story goes – offered the last remaining Jewish tribe to help him in the attack. The Jews refused because it would have fallen on the Jewish Sabbath and this sealed their fate. When the siege was over, Muhmmad's troops killed all the men in the tribe and sold their children and women as slaves. 

That tour casts the Jews as traitors who inflicted harm not only on Muslims but also breached their agreements with local Arab tribesmen of Medina for dozens of years before Muhammad. The Battle of the Trench station also has a big mosque, next to one of the mountains enveloping the city. It is called the Al-Fath Mosque (MOsque of the Conquest). It is considered an Islamic pilgrimage site.

Jedda – spearheading the changes

Because of its proximity to the Red Sea, the weather in Jeddah at this time of year is very pleasant. This is not the only advantage of the city, which used to be the diplomatic capital of the kingdom. "Unlike other cities in Saudi Arabia, Jedda – being a port city – has always been cosmopolitan, open to the world, and welcoming to foreigners," a local photographer called Hind tells me about the old city. I had met her there in the early hours of a Friday morning when I was there documenting the old structures, most of which are still deserted but some are already undergoing renovations as part of the effort to make this place a tourist magnate. 

 "Over the course of hundreds of years, many pilgrims have arrived here with their last remaining funds just so they could complete the duty of the Hajj without being able to pay for their way back. This created an interesting mixture of cultures and a great degree of tolerance – unlike other parts of Saudi Arabia, which are still very much isolated. That is why Jeddah has in recent years become a hub of culture and arts. Just before the coronavirus pandemic, we were a group of photographers who were active in the old city. We used to hold parties here."

Q: What do you think about the rapid changes in Saudi Arabia? 

"Here in Jeddah, they are very much welcomed, especially among the younger generations. Most of the young people have lived abroad for long periods in the West, and the restrictions they have had to live with since returning are very tough on them. Lifting many prohibitions creates a much freer atmosphere. Although freedom is not absolute, there is a sense of a new Saudi Arabia, especially when it comes to arts and culture. On the other hand, there are those who believe that too much freedom and this rapid transition is not necessarily a good thing. People don't know what to do with this freedom." 

As we were talking, a group of Western tourists passed by us, having arrived by cruise from OMan. After their Jedda stop, they were to continue to Egypt. "We are not used to having so many tourists from the West here," Hind says. "This is definitely one of the positive changes happening here. People are coming to see for themselves who we are, beyond their prejudices."

Girl power

This year, just before the Holy Month of Ramadan, Saudi television ran its first season of Saudi Idol. Hams Fekri, a 29-year-old Saudi wedding singer from Jeddah, won the reality show. Fekri usually performed without a head covering and said in interviews that the fact that a woman won the competition is a great source of pride for Saudis. She went on to encourage women not to be deterred by glass ceilings. 

"I have been hoping all my life that a moment like this would arrive, and I kept asking myself whether such a thing could ever happen in Saudi Arabia," she said. The women revolution is in full swing: I saw women with a black niqab or with uncovered face work at the hotel reception, as shopkeepers, and as employees of fast-food chains. They don't disengage men when they provide service. They fill up the shopping centers with other women their age. Seeing women go on their own to the movies was something that you could not have imagined only five years ago. As part of the reforms he has introduced, bin Salman also reopened theaters, although you still have to go through metal detectors at the entrance, as the regime still fears fundamentalists will try to target those venues. 

In Jedda one can also notice more women on the road. One of them was even involved in a crash with the vehicle I was in. She did not pull over to apologize, just continued driving recklessly. "There is no point in reporting her to the police," Abdallah, whom I was riding with, told me. "The officers would have to accept her version even if they believe my account. Women don't get ticketed; there is affirmative action from the authorities. Women also take our jobs." 

"If four men apply for a single opening and there is also one woman applicant, it wouldn't matter what their qualifications are – she would land the position. This creates quite a lot of tension," he continues. 

Khaled, a physician, told me that because he had been living in Jeddah all his life, he failed to see the changes in real-time. "Many times the authorities don't announce the modified policies or the new rules, they just let things happen. For example, they didn't announce that stores could open during prayer, they simply held off from cracking down on people who chose to do so. So reality keeps changing while many people don't realize it. In the past, you could do many things in the confines of your own home, behind closed doors, like throwing parties and drinking alcohol, and even having mixed-gender events with people dressed in modern clothing. But now all this is gradually creeping into the public sphere. Women go out to work, whether they are married or not. They no longer have to a male minder."

The biggest project of them all

The northern city of Tabuk, which lies just 100 km (62 miles) from the Jordanian border, has recently been in the headlines after a video emerged showing camels in a snowstorm that supposedly hit the kingdom due to climate change. Residents dismissed the headlines as "fake news" because "we have snow here practically every year; the weather here is very different from other parts of the country." Indeed it gets cold in the evening in that town. The way from Tabuk to the futuristic city of Neom – the crown jewel of Vision 20230 – passes through breathtaking desert scenery. Rocky mountains dot the sand dunes and the dry streams. The desert here is far from being homogenous. The red, green, pink, brown, and almost-black boulders give it the look of a never-ending work of art. Neom, shorthand for neo-mustakbal ("new future"), is going to be built on the intersection between the desert and the Red Sea. 

 The city lies just across the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula, not far from the Jordanian border. The route to the city-in-the-making is mostly on a road that has seen better days. But upon arriving at the massive construction area the road is much wider, much more maintained, and adjacent to it are convoluted lines of street lights that are powered by the sun. The future is already here. Almost. The adverse environmental impact on the desert is supposedly going to be offset by the plan to have Neom's 9 million would-be inhabitants live in a fully-green city that would rely solely on renewable energy.

Despite bulldozers being everywhere, not much has been built. Signs asking to keep the city clean, with its hexagon symbol, appear on roads. The blueprints, it seems, are taken right out of science fiction movies. The small airport serves domestic flights as well as flights to Dubai. Two temporary communal settlements that are designed to house the massive contingent of construction workers are almost complete. Upon entering the first settlement, there is a big structure spelling out the words "I love Neom". You can see that beyond the barbed wire, there are large studios that have already produced 25 movies and television shows. There is also a hospital, with a helicopter nearby. But access to these communities is limited to those who work there or have otherwise received a permit. Foreign workers already live in the first communal settlement. They seize every opportunity to flee to the nearby cities and the real-life they offer. 

Neom, the grandiose project that some say is too far-fetched, is supposed to combine the Saudi desert and the Red Sea with such innovative technology that would turn Saudi Arabia into a global trailblazer in future urban planning. Its size will span some 26,000 km (more than Israel). No fewer than 500 billion dollars will have been invested once it's up and running (almost five times Israel's annual budget). 

Two colossal structures that are parallel to each other will dominate the city. "The Line" as they will be called, will rise to 1600 feet and have an exterior covered in glass. Each of the two structures of the line – 656 m apart – will stretch some 100 miles.

The Line won't have cars or streets. High-speed rail will take you from one end to another in 20 minutes. Power consumption for Neom will originate solely on renewable energy – especially solar – and the city will operate on artificial intelligence based on data collected from the denizens so as to optimize their lifestyles and they will be paid for their consent to give data. The cost of construction is estimated at anything from 100 billion to 1 trillion dollars.

bin Salman announced the project "The Line'' in January 2021 on live television more than a year ago. The project got up and running some nine months ago. This involved relocating residents of various towns who had been living in the areas earmarked for the city. The first phase of construction is set to be completed in 2030, although this appears to be much too optimistic. Last summer, bin Salman presented a visualization of The Line once it's complete, calling it a "civilizational revolution that puts humans first, providing an unprecedented urban living experience while preserving the surrounding nature. It redefines the concept of urban development and what cities of the future should look like." The website for the project envisions a structure that will have "no roads, cars or emissions'' and that " it will run on 100% renewable energy and 95% of the land will be preserved for nature." The description goes on to say that "people's health and wellbeing will be prioritized over transportation and infrastructure, unlike traditional cities."

Once one of the most boring places in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has become one of the most fascinating and promising countries in under a decade. From being an exporter of radical Islam and oil, it has become a vibrant hub of ideas, creation, and sky-high ambitions. All this, under the leadership of one young man – however controversial – who has yet to become king. Will Saudi Arabia manage to survive the minefield that lies between yesterday and tomorrow? Haste is from Satan, they say in Arabic. But after so much stagnation, perhaps speed can in fact be a blessing.

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The post 'It's moving too fast': Dispatches from a kingdom undergoing a modernity revolution appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

MOSTAR —

Borjana Krišto had already made history in her country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, when she became the first woman to be elected as the federation's president in 2007, as well as last January, when she became the first woman to be elected as the prime minister of the nationwide government responsible for both parts of the country – Bosnia and Herzegovina on the one hand, and the Serbian entity –  Republika Srpska, on the other. Towards the end of the year, the 61-year-old Croatian with a law degree is likely to make history again when she becomes the first prime minister of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina to visit Israel. Contact between the two countries is already being made regarding the visit's arrangement, and the visit is likely to occur in November. For Israel, Krišto's visit is highly significant, as it will show the strengthening of its ties with yet another country with a Muslim majority that is susceptible to influence by pro-Palestinian Islamic entities.

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Krišto is part of the Croatian minority that resides mainly in south Bosnia and Herzegovina, adjacent to Croatia's border. After Bosnia and Herzegovina's separation from Yugoslavia at the beginning of the 1990s, the three main population groups in the country – the Bosnian Muslims, the Orthodox Serbians, and the Catholic Croatians – waged a bloody civil war in which 100,000 people were killed and approximately two million people were displaced from their homes. Bosnia and Herzegovina simultaneously experienced horrific war crimes that the warring sides committed on its soil. The war ended in 1995 with the signing of the United States-sponsored Dayton Agreement. This agreement turned Bosnia and Herzegovina into a multi-ethnic federation with a complex governmental structure led by a foreign high commissioner who represents the international community and has the authority to rule on the country's internal affairs. The current high commissioner, Christian Schmidt, did so just recently when he amended the country's constitution to solve a political deadlock that prevented the establishment of the new government for years. Schmidt's intervention allowed the government to push the majority party, the nationalist-Islamic "Party of Democratic Action" – in power for most of the years that modern Bosnia and Herzegovina's existed – away. This party, which has been accused of being close ideologically to the Muslim Brotherhood and maintained relations with Erdogan's government in Türkiye and with Iran, acted to halt the development of relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Israel. Now, these actions will likely no longer stand in the way of the two countries strengthening their ties.

Krišto was one of four prime ministers who participated in the opening of the big Israeli pavilion in the International Economic Fair Mostar 2023 – the biggest trade fair in the Balkan region. Standing beside her were the prime ministers of Serbia and Croatia and the prime minister of the Bosnian-Croatian part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. "The official relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Israel are expanding and developing in a positive direction," said Krišto in an interview with Israel Hayom, "proof of this is our official visits to Israel and Israeli officials' visits here. As a result of improving our relations, Israel is becoming Bosnia and Herzegovina's partner. Israel's Chamber of Commerce in Bosnia and Herzegovina has allowed Israel to be invited to the Mostar Fair as a guest nation. An Israeli entrepreneur (Amir Gross Kabiri – E.B.) rehabilitated the company "Aluminij Industries" (the biggest aluminum company in Bosnia and Herzegovina – E.B.) and turned it into a thriving export company that has 400 employees. Aside from economic cooperation, there is also cooperation in tourism and culture. I am more than convinced that Israel's presence at the Mostar Fair will bring us even closer and will expand the cooperation between us and Israel. After the Israeli pavilion was opened, many meetings were held between companies from both countries in which many topics were discussed. In these meetings, exceptional ideas for shared future development of various projects were exchanged. For us, Israel serves as an example of a small country that can find ways to develop and become one of the world's most successful countries. We have much to learn from Israel."

Q: In which fields would you like to see more cooperation between the two countries?

"The foundation is economic cooperation. Also, in tourism and agriculture, which are an important part of our economy and in which there is room for development. And, of course, in education and science."

Q: Do you truly intend to visit Israel?

"Of course, I have not yet been there. It will be very important for me, personally and emotionally, to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and other sites important to the State of Israel and the Jewish nation. I intend on visiting towards the end of this year."

Q: Kosovo, which is close to you, established an embassy in Jerusalem. Do you see the possibility of Bosnia and Herzegovina moving its embassy to Jerusalem as well?

"The president is responsible for our country's foreign affairs. But I would be very happy to see the embassy in Jerusalem one day."

High Representative Schmidt's intervention in the amendment of Bosnia and Herzegovina's constitution so that it could establish a new government comprising moderate Muslims and Croatians caused much tension in the country. The Islamists claim that they were pushed away from power by authorities foreign to the government against the will of the Muslim majority. Simultaneously, the Serbian area's leader is radicalizing his calls for the separation of Republika Srpska from Bosnia and Herzegovina, for it to declare its independence and to unite with Serbia.

"Our form of government was determined by the international community and not by the country's residents themselves," explains Krišto, "we conduct ourselves based on this reality, which was determined by the Dayton Agreement and the country's constitution. Bosnia and Herzegovina comprises two entities and three main ethnic groups that live in them. The division of the government was determined unfairly towards the Croatians. The constitution gave us veto rights in the country's governmental institutions responsible for the entire country and all its citizens. We have institutions in which its officials are elected according to the "one person, one vote" rule, and there are institutions in which the officials are elected by associative democracy. Currently, in one of the two entities in which Croatians live with Bosnian Muslims, the Croatian officials in the collective bodies of government are elected by the Muslims. The fact that the Muslims, whose numbers are greater, choose the Croatian representatives is unfair. This discriminates against an entire population, the Croatians, who cannot choose their representatives. This discrimination also exists against people from other populations, outside the three main ethnic groups, who do not have any rights whatsoever to be elected to the government. The international community bestowed upon us a constitution that stopped the war. We needed to amend this constitution to move forward, but until now, we could not do so. Currently, the situation is one in which there is much distrust in the southern part, the Croatian part, of the federation, and we have not been able to find a solution that will allow the discrimination I spoke about to be eliminated. The "Party of Democratic Action" was the one that hampered any process of change. We were their coalition partners for a long time. But their strategy was to preserve the status quo. They were satisfied with the state of things in which the Muslims could choose the Croatian representatives for collective bodies of government. Since they are the federation's majority, they were able to select the Muslim and Croatian vice presidents. They abused the Croatians' trust in them. They were unwilling to give up this influential political tool. We reached a deadlock that did not allow us to move forward. Therefore, at the end of the year, we decided to change our partners in the Muslim-Bosnian community. We signed an agreement with them according to which we will work to solve this annoying problem. When we solve this problem, we will then solve our socioeconomic problems. My goal is to hasten the process of Bosnia and Herzegovina's integration into the European Union as much as possible. We need to solve this cumbersome political problem not just for my community, the Croatians, but for all of Bosnia and Herzegovina so that it can move forward."

Q: Can it move forward without renewed violence?

"I think we need mutual understanding, dialogue, and compromise. Making decisions in the nationwide government I am leading is impossible without compromise and consensus. The entire country is founded on consensus, dialogue, and compromise. We all survived the war. Over 100,000 people died in it. None of us are interested in experiencing another war again in the future. Bosnia and Herzegovina's rectification will happen through dialogue, consensus, and mutual understanding. The solution is to give the three large ethnic populations equal status. This equation will ensure and preserve Bosnia and Herzegovina's future."

But you are in a very fragile position under the current international circumstances. On the one hand, is the pro-Russian Republika Srpska which is inspired by Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine and speaks again of independence. On the other hand, are the Islamists with their partners in the Muslim world in Iran and Türkiye. Both sides are striving toward crisis. Can this be prevented?

"As I said, the solution to maintaining stability in Bosnia is preserving the rule of equality between the three ethnic groups. Militarization and separatism are not good for Bosnia and Herzegovina since they place its existence as a country under question. I do not think it will be the correct political move for those striving towards disengagement or establishing a monoethnic state. The different entities cannot survive without Bosnia and Herzegovina's framework since they are a part of this country. The current situation is the only one that has a future."

Q: Do you feel that international forces are now trying to destroy Bosnia and Herzegovina? Russia? Iran?

"We have little exposure to what happens outside our borders. When we fight amongst ourselves, foreign authorities have more desire to influence what happens here. However, the Bosnian politicians are the only ones who can bring sustainable solutions to our country."

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WARSAW – The trilateral meeting between the presidents of Israel, Germany, and Poland – Isaac Herzog, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Andrzej Duda – to mark the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is designed to send a message of reconciliation between the three nations regarding the animosities over World War II that have clouded relations in recent years. Herzog's arrival in Warsaw is supposed to complete the reconciliation process between Israel and Poland, which has accelerated in the wake of the Ukraine war. This presidential visit was made possible in part after the remaining stumbling block had been removed: the issue of Israeli high school students visiting Nazideath camps. The two presidents have played a key role in that thaw, and this week, on the even to the anniversary of the Jewish uprising against the Nazi occupiers, Duda – a friend of the Jewish people and Israel – granted Israel Hayom an exclusive interview where he discussed the future of the ties, as well as their past. The interview was conducted at the presidential palace in the Polish capital.

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Q: What is the historical significance of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising for Poland today? 

"First, we feel this is part of our shared history. This was an uprising of the Polish Jews in World War II. In Israel, this is of course an important historical event in Jewish history. The Germans imprisoned the Jews in the Ghetto, and the younger residents decided to revolt and took up arms and fought. Most were killed because they had no real chance to survive. They showed their immense heroism through their actions. Today, in Israel, the uprising is part of the national narrative but this is also an important part of Polish history during the war period. We see it as our own uprising. I will say that it was a Polish uprising because the fighters were Jewish Poles, citizens of Poland. As such, they were part of Polish history. Many of them hailed from the Polish intelligentsia; they were educated people from a variety of occupations. The Germans are the ones who separated these Polish Jews from the greater Polish society. They put a mark of Cain on them. When the Germans occupied Poland, they destroyed the Polish state and forced the Jews to wear a yellow star. This is how they started the separation between them and the rest of Polish society."

Q: To what degree did the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising serve as an inspiration for the Warsaw Uprising about a year later on August 1, 1944? 

"The two uprisings were intertwined. There were two uprisings in Warsaw, and people often conflate the two. The Warsaw Uprising that broke out on August 1, 1944, had a wider scope. It took place all over the city. But the results of both uprisings were pretty similar and that is indeed very symbolic: After the ghetto uprising the Nazis decided to raze it to the ground. They turned into a sea of rubble. After the Warsaw Uprising was suppressed, the Germans began under Hitler's orders to destroy the entire city. He instructed them not to leave even one brick in place. Warsaw shared the same fate as the ghetto; the ghetto's survivors found a safe haven with their fellow Poles in Warsaw. When the Warsaw Uprising began many of them joined the combat against the Germans. Their decision to help the fighting has a big symbolic significance."

Q: How has President Isaac Herzog's presence at the anniversary events normalized relations once again between the two sides? 

"It is a very positive thing to have the president of Israel arrive in Poland to take part in the commemoration events. The reason for that is because we can say that this was a joint uprising for both Poland and Israel. It is a very positive thing that the two countries have both sought to honor the memory of the heroes of the ghetto uprising. It is very good that both sides want to bow their heads and pay their respects for the heroism of the uprising's fighters."

Q: Have we reached a point where we can say that history can unite us rather than divide us? 

"It is important to understand that before the war Poland was a big country where millions of people lived together. Poles, Jews, other ethnicities. All were citizens of the Polish republic. After Poland won independence in 1918, those groups fought several times to preserve it. If you visit the cemeteries where Polish soldiers who fought for independence against the Soviets in 1920 are buried, you will notice crosses, as well as Stars of Davids. You will also see crescents because Tatars also fought for Poland. The number of graves with crosses is obviously the largest and the second largest is the group of Stars of David. All of them mark the graves of soldiers of the Polish military. That multi-ethnic society comprised the Polish military in 1939 that fought the German invaders. It included both non-Jewish Poles and Jews. That is why many of the insurgents in the Ghetto knew how to take up arms. They got their combat experience in the Polish military. Many Jewish Poles fought in Anders' Army that fought on behalf of Poland alongside the Allies. Many of the troops in that army later took part in the founding of the state of Israel and fought for it. In Israel's early years, the Polish language was very common in the Knesset. That is why I speak of joint history and that is why the presence of Israel's president in the commemoration events is very important. For me,  the relations between the two countries, including the diplomatic ties, should be the natural state of affairs and self-evident."

Q: Why was Germany's president invited? 

"President Steinmeier, whom I know well, wanted to be part of this event. He believes that it is his duty as the president of the nation that perpetrated the crimes to be here and pay his respects to those who perished in the uprising. I hope that his presence will represent peace, forgiveness, and the desire for coexistence between our nations forever." 

Q: Is the trilateral meeting an opportunity to discuss a collaborative German-Israeli-Polish framework to deal with the past and the memory? For example, to expand the tours of high school students to Germany rather than have them visit only Poland? 

"It will be a very positive thing if the programs for those tours include an itinerary that reflects the history of the Holocaust. In view of that, it would be a good thing that the tours begin near Berlin, in Wannsee, where the senior Nazi leadership decided on implementing the "Final Solution." Nazism was born in Germany, that is where the Kristallnacht pogrom took place and that is where the roots of the Holocaust can be found. That is where the first concentration camps were created. The Germans began setting up the concentration and death camps in Poland only after they occupied our land and annexed it to the Reich by creating the Generalgouvernement. That is how they set up the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, which has a German name. This is a camp that symbolizes the Holocaust for many Jews, especially younger ones. It was a German camp. That is why the pilgrimage to those death sites should begin in Germany; that is where the Holocaust was devised; from there it should continue to contemporary Poland, which was then occupied by Germany.

"However, we want that when Israelis visit Poland today, that they would not be limited to the years where the Nazis carried out the Holocaust and the genocide of the Jewish nation. We want them to see that the presence of Jews in Poland and the coexistence between the Poles and the Jews continued for a period of 1000 years. We want them to see with their own eyes how many elements of Jewish culture were incorporated into modern-day Polish culture, and how the two cultures were intertwined for 1000 years, and how much our two nations share. I want them to hear how many words from their language were adopted by the Polish language." 

Q: In that context, it was recently reported that Poland has supposedly forced Israel, as part of the agreement to renew the tours, to include sites that commemorate Poles who murdered Jews. Is that so? 

"I heard about that report and about a statement by a well-known politician who served in the previous government in Israel and who has a very well-known hostile stance toward Poland and the Poles. Let me put it this way: For us, he is a habitual liar. He has a vested political interest in dividing between our two nations and countries. I have no qualms saying that: He is hurting the vital interests of Israel. I will explain why: Poland has always been a country that has a friendly stance toward Israel. On many occasions, we have defended Israel in international bodies. Even when the EU issued condemnations against Israeli policy, Poland did not. For many decades we have treated Israel with great friendliness. This has manifested itself in certain areas that I cannot elaborate on. Those who try to sabotage the relations between Poland and Israel try to undermine Israeli interests, including the security interests. This is what I have to say on this matter." 

Q: You don't want to mention that politician by name? 

"Everyone knows who I am talking about." 

Q: Is the 5-year crisis that the two countries had in their relations over? 

"In recent years we have seen a drop in the intensity of Polish-Israeli relations. It would be fair to say that this is due to the "success" of the person talked about. That person hurt the Polish people and humiliated them. We believe there is no reason to take part in such dialogue and that is why we chose to stay silent. We reached a conclusion that if the Israeli government did not need us as a friend then we cannot be friends. However, we still hope that Israel wants to have a friend in this part of Europe that is not indifferent to it. Very simple. For that reason, the president's visit and the call I had with him are good signs of friendship being renewed." 

Q: What are the lessons that can be learned from this crisis to ensure it never returns? 

 "First, we must learn to look at history through an objective prism. No one knows how much Jewish blood runs in their arteries; after 1,000 years, there is a big intertwining. We, the Poles, also suffered a lot as a nation and society in World War II. Some six million Polish citizens were murdered in the war, including more than three million Jewish Poles. And yes, the other three million were not Jews. Non-Jewish Poles were also murdered by the Nazis. We fought for our independence. It is important to remember that anyone helping Jews in the occupied Polish territories was subject to a death sentence. A death sentence. This is a fact, and everyone who examines the relationship between Poles and Jews during that period must be aware of it. Many Poles and their families were killed by Germans because they had helped Jews. Those people are commemorated in various places in Poland. Everyone knows that in Yad Vashem the number of trees planted in memory of the Polish Righteous Among the Nations is the greatest. There is just no comparison between the Righteous Among the Nations from Western Europe to the Polish ones. Here, the punishment for helping Jews was not imprisonment but death. Like the Ulma family: a couple and their children, who were shot to death on the spot because they had helped Jews. They paid with their lives and their children's lives for helping their Jewish neighbors. Everyone was subject to murder: Jews and Poles alike. The situation was bad; inconceivable.

"I keep saying time and again: There were various types of people in Poland during the war, just like in every other society. There was the group of heroes who helped the Jews while putting their lives on the line, and many of them have yet to be recognized for their acts. Then there was the frightened majority who were scared for their lives and the lives of their loved ones and just wanted to survive. And there were also the wicked ones, who reported on Jews and handed them over to the Germans, as well as some who took part in the crimes. Just like in every society. But if you look at Polish society as a whole, there were not a lot of people in the latter group. We, of course, condemn them in the strongest terms. Today they would not have found a place in our society. By the way, many of them were executed by the Polish Underground during the war, like the police officer who reported on the Ulma family to the Germans. He was shot and killed by the Polish Underground State. This was the complicated history of the war. We must remember this complexity. No official Polish agency or institution collaborated with the Nazis. In fact, the opposite is true: The underground worked with the exiled government and created Żegota, a body whose purpose was to save Jews. That is why it hurts us to hear the accusations against the Polish people from irresponsible individuals in Israel and other places."

Q: Looking into the future, when will a new ambassador be appointed in Israel? 

 "Those in charge of the process are now at the phase of setting up the appointment of the relevant individual." 

Q: Now that Herzog is visiting, will you visit Israel? 

"We have been dealing with a war in our region; a war that Russia started in Ukraine. My main mission is to protect Poland's security. Every visit I make abroad focuses on security matters. If the political circumstances allow, there will be a presidential visit to Israel. Keep in mind that I have already held an official visit to Israel as president of Poland. 

Q: Israel will mark 75 years of independence next week. Do you have a message to convey to Israelis on this occasion? 

"I congratulate Israel and its citizens for this very important and significant day, especially considering the fact that over the past 75 years, Israel has endured many difficult moments but pulled through. Poland feels that it is a friend of Israel, also because many people of Polish descent took part in its founding. These were Polish Jews and we highly value their contribution to the development of Poland in various fields: the sciences, the military, and day-to-day life. I wish Israel and the Israelis peace and calm and that the tough experiences of the past 75 years won't repeat."

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WARSAW — On the eve of Passover, April 19, 1943, German forces entered the Warsaw Ghetto with the aim of deporting the remaining Jews who stayed there to the extermination camps, thus giving their leader, Adolf Hitler, a "present" for his birthday: Warsaw, the city that before WWII had the second largest Jewish population In the world, "cleansed" of its Jews. Judenrein. However, the German forces encountered an unexpected organized resistance: The remainder of Warsaw's Jewry, mostly young people who were left alive as a slave force, began what became known as the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which lasted about a month and became the main symbol of the many Jewish acts of heroism during the Holocaust. Desperate, hopeless heroism, which allowed most of its perpetrators to die with dignity, shedding German blood, and not as sheep led to the slaughter.

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On the 80th anniversary of the start of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a tripartite summit meeting between the presidents of Poland, Andrzej Duda, Israel, Isaac Herzog, and Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will be held in the capital of Poland, as part of the many events to mark this anniversary. The holding of this summit was made possible thanks to the rapid warming of relations between Poland and Israel in recent months. The first to initiate the renewed rapprochement, back in the days of the Bennet-Lapid government that deteriorated the relationship with Poland to an unprecedented low, was President Herzog. Since the beginning of the current Israeli government's term and under the direction of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen, the last obstacles that prevented the full restoration of the ties between the two countries were removed and a comprehensive agreement was signed in Warsaw, which paves the way for the resumption of sending delegations of Israeli high school students to Poland.

Pawel Jabłoński, the Polish deputy foreign minister responsible, among other things, for relations with Israel, tells "Israel Hayom" that today there is a very positive dynamic in relations between the two countries, after a crisis that lasted for about five years, and that there is great optimism in Warsaw regarding the improvement of relations in the coming months. According to Jabłoński, the process of appointing a new Polish ambassador to Israel has already begun. "Soon we will be able to announce the appointment," says Jabłoński. The former foreign minister, Yair Lapid, essentially blocked former Polish ambassador, Marek Magierowski, from returning to Israel after the adoption of a law regarding the statute of limitations for the restitution of Jewish property. This severely damaged relations between the two countries and there were those in the Polish government who demanded an official apology from Israel.

"We recognize that this step was taken by the previous Israeli government. We are putting this incident behind us. Poland, for its part, quickly agreed to the appointment of a new Israeli ambassador after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. This was also due to the evacuation of the Israeli embassy from Kyiv and Israeli citizens from Ukraine as well as because of the security cooperation between the two countries. I hope that when the new Polish ambassador is appointed, we will return to the track of good relations in the political, economic – with its great potential, and social fields; good relations that will last not just a few months but decades. The agreement signed in Warsaw with Foreign Minister Cohen is a historic step. We finally managed to settle an issue that was problematic from our point of view and also provoked criticism in Israel: The trips of the Israeli youth to Poland meant that many in Israel see Poland only as a territory where the Germans committed crimes. This creates the impression that Poland is a dangerous and unfriendly country for Jews and Israel. If you want to build good relations between the two countries, you need to teach the younger generations both about the positive elements that existed in Jewish history in Poland and about the current times. It is very important to encourage young people from both countries to come into contact with each other. If high school students from Israel meet their peers in Poland, get to know each other, and discover that they watch the same series on Netflix and like the same things, this will increase understanding and connection".

According to Jabłoński, the tripartite summit of presidents to mark the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising will be an opportunity to raise the issue of expanding the youth trips to Germany as well as creating joint frameworks for the three countries, where it will be possible to teach the young people from Israel, Poland, and Germany about the history of World War II. "We are happy that we were able to forge an agreement with Israel and hope that together with Israel we can harness Germany to understand that it is necessary to improve and expand the educational program. The current Polish government is accused of focusing too much on history, but we need to remember and remind what happened on our soil so that things like this don't happen again. To a certain extent, we see the continuation of the crimes committed in World War II in Ukraine as well, in a different scope and dimension. The Russians want to eliminate the elites of Ukraine and the Ukrainian identity. Now they also want to remove the Polish flag from the site of the Katyn massacre where thousands of Polish officers were murdered by the secret Soviet police."

Regarding the change in Israeli policy towards the war in Ukraine since the beginning of the term of office of the new government in Israel, Jabłoński says: "Sometimes we hear voices calling on Israel to do more for Ukraine. But, many things happen away from the public eye. We encourage everyone to do more to help Ukraine, including Israel. But, we understand your constraints in view of the Russian presence in Syria.'

Jabłoński categorically denies comments attributed to him several days ago and widely quoted in the Israeli media, according to which the Polish government advised the Israeli government regarding legal reform. "We did not advise Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his government, they did not ask for our opinion, the Polish government does not enact laws in the Knesset," Jabłoński clarifies, "all I said is that in the past we informed friendly governments about the legal reforms carried out in Poland, their goals and the public reaction - for and against them. Separately, we were also interested in what is happening in Israel, as we are interested in what is happening in any friendly country. We don't accept foreign interference in our internal affairs, so we do not intend to interfere in the internal affairs of other states. Israel has never consulted with us regarding the reform. This is an internal matter for you.'

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The parliament of South Africa voted Wednesday to downgrade ties with Israel in what is a culmination of many years of rockey relations with the Jewish state.

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The measure was backed by 208 lawmakers, while 94 opposed it. The move will see Israel's Embassy in the capital Pretoria downgraded to a liaison office. The measure was introduced by the National Freedom Party, which has two members in parliament, to protest what it considers to be a policy of apartheid and discriminatory practices against Palestinians.

"This is a moment [Mandela] would be proud of. He always said our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians," the left-wing party said in a statement Wednesday. "The state of Israel was built through the displacement, murder, and maiming of Palestinians. And to maintain their grip on power, they have instituted apartheid to control and manage Palestinians," read the statement, which continued: "As South Africans, we refuse to stand by while apartheid is being perpetrated again."

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"We are more than content. Israel and Kosova [the local term for Kosovo] are really deepening our cooperation and friendship. We are in many aspects quite similar countries. Within two years, we have had a lot of excellent exchanges, ranging from official visits to private businesses. We are surely on the right path."

Q: The annual report of the Abraham Accord, which was the framework of the establishment of relations, states that economic ties and investments between both countries remain limited. Is it so and what is the reason?

"The initial phase fell into the period of the pandemic, but our economic exchange will develop increasingly dynamic. There is more to come, not only for investment in Kosova but also for exports from Kosova to other markets.

"Kosova has had a remarkable increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that proves the excellent business opportunities in Kosova. Kosova has literally jumped up 22 ranks in Transparency International's index. Businesses find a reliable environment in Kosova, and Israeli businesses can profit from that."

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Q: Kosova was the first European country to open an embassy in Jerusalem. When will Kosova nominate an ambassador?

"That is a question that we will most probably handle in the first half of this year. The final decision does not depend that much on our bilateral relationship, but rather on an ongoing long overdue restructuring of our diplomatic service to make it significantly more effective."

Q: Serbia was also supposed to move its embassy to Jerusalem, as part of the agreement reached in Washington. Was Kosova pressured by the EU not to open its embassy in Jerusalem?

"Of course, Serbia promised to move its embassy. But people here were not surprised that Vučić once again broke a promise. When I took office in March 2021, the embassy in Jerusalem was one of the first tasks to deal with. I told everyone that the move of the embassy to Jerusalem was a done deal, based on the signature and the promise of the preceding government."

Q: When will there be direct flights between both countries?

"Our countries are in touch to figure out the economic feasibility of how to achieve that. Since we don't have a national carrier, we need to find partners for a sustainable solution. We are working to find a viable solution for this flight connection."

Q: Kosova is celebrating this weekend 15 years of indépendance. However, it witnesses renewed tensions with Serbia. Is the risk of military clashes real?

"Only in the past two years, Serbian President Vučić threatened Kosova several times with war, even deploying troops at our border, sending warplanes, hosting the Russian ambassador for visits to these troops, incorporating Russian military into the Serbian defense ministry, increasing military capabilities and exercises with Russia from about 10 to nearly 100 per year in 2021. Recently, we detected Wagner mercenaries at our border and arms smuggling into Kosova. Other covert actions by Russia and Serbia are taking place in other countries in the region.

"Contrary to many, we know Vučić and his Foreign Minister Dacic very well. Both men were the closest aides of the "Butcher of the Balkans," former Serbian president and war criminal Milosevic. Vučić was his minister of propaganda and Dacic was his right hand during war, massacre, and the worst atrocities against our country and our people. They not only never apologized, but they also still publicly honor the war criminals and deny and falsify the events.

"The very reason that this aggressive approach is not turning into open conflict is the restraint of our government and the presence of US troops in Kosova. Only recently, the United States issued a stern warning to Vučić, who wanted to deploy Serbian troops on our territory. An army that was responsible for the worst crimes and the expulsion of nearly half of our population and that will never return to Kosova on our watch.

"Kosova, like Israel, is used to constant threats. That does not define our lives. We are part of the West, while Serbia is a proxy of Putin. It's not perfect, but we continue to live our lives and develop our country."

Q: How do the war in Ukraine influence Kosova and the Balkan area?

"The Russian war against Ukraine does impact the whole world. Putin has demolished the post-Holocaust world order. This is a struggle between dictatorships and aggressive regimes and the free world.

"Serbia not only breached an important treaty with the EU by rejecting sanctions against Russia. In October 2022, Serbia signed an agreement with Russia to do just what it rejected with regard to the EU - it signed to align its foreign policy with Putin. Serbia is a proxy of Russia, not only in the region but also poses a threat. Serbia is engaged in arms deals, financing, and smuggling for the Russian war, and thus contributing to the killing of innocent children and families in Ukraine.

"We in the West have to take more decisive actions to signal to Serbia that aligning with Russia is not a future if it wants to maintain connections with the West, and not turn itself into an adversary of the West."

Q: Do you fear the risk of the war spreading to other areas, including the Balkan?

"All countries that rely on secure borders need to take the threat to the rules-based international order very seriously. If Russia and Serbia were to succeed, many countries would be up for grabs. Therefore, Kosova stands with Ukraine, supports Ukraine, and wants Ukraine to win and Russia to lose this war.

"Today, in a world of cyber, drones, terrorism, and nuclear threats, Russian aggression cannot be contained to Ukraine, just as Serbian genocide could not be confined to the Balkans. Moscow is in a global alliance with China and other actors to destroy the US-led peace order that was established in direct response to the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II.

"Israel, Kosova, and other countries, small and large, should invest heavily in defending that rules-based order. If we fail to defend our peaceful world order, we may all end up in an era of war again, but this time on a totally different, global level."

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Hungary has become in the last few weeks one of a symbol. At the protests against the proposed judicial reforms and on television studios, people have been discussing how Israel is becoming like Hungary and comparing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orbán. Orbán is presented as an unrestrained political leader who consistently works to destroy Hungary's democracy and replace it with an authoritarian regime, a kind of dictatorship.

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Hungary is described as a country whose judicial system's independence was eliminated through a provision of the constitution adopted under Orbán's government in 2011. The Opposition has attacked Netanyahu in the past for his good relations with Orbán, who has been accused of antisemitism. The conservative Hungarian government, which has served continuously since 2010, has created many legislative initiatives in different fields – related to law, media, or rights of the LGBT community – and has been greatly criticized by the European Union. Over many years this criticism has strengthened the anti-Orbán movement and many see Hungary under his rule as a country that is entering a dark period. However, is that truly the situation in Hungary and can it even be compared to Israel?

Crossing the Lines

The story of Katalin Szili's life includes a time span that shows the many changes Hungary has undergone in recent decades. Szili, 66, who holds a PhD in law, is considered one of the leading left-wing figures in Hungary. The left-wing party has been in the opposition for about 13 years and is finding it very difficult to create a viable alternative to Orbán and his party, Fidesz, who won the last four elections with a majority – two-thirds of the parliament's delegates, which has allowed Orbán to easily introduce reforms that correspond to his conservative worldview.

In the 1980s, at the beginning of her professional and political career, Szili was a member of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party – the ruling communist party.

With the fall of the communist regime in 1989, she was one of the founders of the Hungarian Socialist Party, which succeeded the previous political party in power and appeared to be social democratic. After the socialists returned to power in the 2002 elections, Szili was appointed speaker of the National Assembly.

In 2005, she was nominated by the party to be the president of Hungary, but she did not win the election because she was unable to form a coalition. She left the Socialist Party right before its crushing defeat in the 2010 election and was elected to parliament as an independent candidate. She then joined the organization called the National Consultation, which was established by Orbán for the purpose of drafting the new constitution. The socialists, from the opposition benches, opposed the initiative to draw up a new constitution and boycotted the debates on it. Since then, Szili has established two political parties – the Socialist Union and the Community for Social Justice – which did not pass the 5% threshold. After the refugee crisis in 2015, Szilli began to publicly support Orbán for his stance on curbing mass immigration, even though she is not a member of his party.

"It was important – for me and on behalf of all Hungarians – to have a constitution (in Hungarian it is referring to a "basic law") – that is modern and beneficial for our country", Szili explains in an interview with Israel Hayom about the decision to leave the political camp she came from and take part in the formation of the constitution with someone who used to be her political opponent.

"My main consideration was the good of the country. After the right won the election in 2010, the Opposition refused to participate in the process of drafting the constitution. The constitution that existed at that point had been adopted under the communist regime in 1949 and amended several times. Some 20 years after the democratic revolution in Hungary, the constitution from a completely different regime was the base of our society and our entire judicial system. Therefore, it is understandable that the right-wing political parties in power made use of the two-thirds majority they had in parliament, which was required in order to make changes to the constitution according to the previous constitution.

"The country needed a completely new social contract as a stable base for Hungary in the 21st century. The new constitution created completely new regulations, even regarding basic spiritual principles, and has provided a modern cohesive structure in a country with 1,000 years of history. The basic law includes clauses that are crucial today, that in addition to the separation of powers, ensure the country is viable."

Q: Since the constitution was adopted about a decade ago, Hungary has been criticized for losing its democratic nature in favor of an authoritarian regime. Does the claim truly reflect the situation in Hungary?

"There is no authoritarian regime in Hungary. Hungary did not lose its democratic character. That claim is heard from the opposition – they try to hide their weaknesses in Hungary and abroad. The reason that the opposition constantly looks to the neo-liberal community is that they are unable to change their policies to become accepted in Hungarian society. The fact that since 2010 the Fidesz coalition and the Christian Democrats in Hungary and Viktor Orbán succeeded in gaining the support of more than two-thirds of the public and has been consecutively voted in for four election periods, speaks for itself. I will emphasize again: This criticism is simply criticism from a very divided opposition who are unable to speak to the people and regain the public's trust, so they feel helpless".

Q: How does the parliament currently influence the judicial system? How are judges appointed here?

"The judicial system carries out its activities based on the legislation of the parliament. The parliament elects the president of the Constitutional Court, the role includes being the highest in the judicial hierarchy as well as the president of the Supreme Court. The other judges are appointed by the President of the Parliament. The judges' independence is guaranteed in two separate ways. The constitution explicitly states that judges are independent and subject only to the law and it is forbidden for others to dictate how judges perform their role. Judges cannot be members of any political party or be involved in any political activity."

Q: What is the effect of the Constitutional Court on laws passed in parliament and on government decisions?

"I can quote the relevant constitutional clauses, that discuss the role of the constitutional court as a guarantee for the protection of the constitution. Therefore, it is possible for the constitutional court to discuss laws that have been adopted but have not yet taken effect either at the initiative of a judge or based on a constitutional complaint that can come from the government, members of parliament, the attorney general or the president of the Supreme Court. The regulation also promises that the constitutional court will not only examine the compatibility between new laws and the constitution but also ensures these laws are not in conflict with international treaties."

Q: Is it necessary to change the current separation of powers because of pressure from the European Union?

"The constitution clearly talks about the separation of powers in Hungary and created a system of checks and balances. The criticism, as I already mentioned, comes mainly from the opposition since most of the population voted in favor of the party, more than two thirds, and that is, a constitutional majority – this was true even in the last election in 2022. It's why they criticize the rule of law and democracy. People in Europe like to criticize and hear criticism about the conservative Hungarian government, and it hides the ineffectiveness of the opposition."

"Hungary is not Israel"

I met Dr. Gustav Beinert, a jurist, consultant to international companies, a former senior official of the Hungarian Football League, and a member of the FIFA Legal Committee, at the "Groupama" stadium of the Ferencvárosi Torna Club. The team has already won 33 Hungarian championships in football and is also at the top of the local league, most likely on its way to winning another title. Beinert, who is Jewish, is also a member of the board of the club, which was founded in 1899 and whose first president – Franz Springer – was Jewish. However, FTC is not considered to be the "Jewish club" of Budapest. This title was reserved for MTK – a rival team.

"There are many differences between Hungary and Israel," he states. "We must acknowledge Hungary's historical background. In 1945, Hungary was liberated from the Germans and then was occupied again by the Soviet Union. For 10 years Hungary was not an independent country. After the anti-communist uprising in 1956, Hungary was considered more liberal when compared to other Eastern European countries. This was called "Goulash Communism" – relative flexibility in the economic field, and complete inflexibility in foreign policy, and defense. In 1989, Hungary allowed refugees from East Germany to pass through it to the West – making it the first country to contribute to the fall of the Berlin Wall. When the political system changed in 1990, with the fall of the communist regime, the communist infrastructure remained intact – especially the Left's tight control of the economy and the media, since the political transformation in Hungary from dictatorship to democracy was non-violent and carried out through negotiations between the parties.

"The first democratic government took care of problems across numerous domains – economic, social, and political. When the government changed after four years, the communists and socialists returned to power for the first time. The left-wing monopoly, especially in the media, was left undisturbed. When Orbán was elected prime minister for the first time in 1998, he started to make many changes; however, he didn't successfully finish what he started after he lost the election in 2002 and the socialists return to power. Those in the center-right camp were shocked by the election results as Orban's term in office was considered successful and almost all polls predicted another victory for him. In 2006, there was the infamous tape-recording incident, in which the socialist prime minister at the time was recorded saying that his government had been lying to the public. This caused the earthquake, that resulted in Orbán being reelected in 2010 with a two-thirds majority. Since then, in the 2014, 2018, and 2022 elections, Orbán has maintained the election majority.

"Hungary has been attracting more foreign investment in recent years than in the past. There are huge investments coming from Germany, China, and the US. Large multinational companies are happy to work here. In terms of foreign investment in Hungary, foreign companies are completely satisfied with government policy and employment laws. They have no complaints – on the contrary."

Beinert emphasizes, that following a review by the Venice Commission– an advisory body to the European Union for constitutional changes – certain sections of the constitution were changed, but not the core of the document. Since 2021, the  Venice Commission has published 21 critical opinions on constitutional amendments and reforms passed by Orbán's government – including the Child Protection Law, which prohibits including content about sexual orientation and gender identity in the education system and the definition of a family in which the mother is a woman and the father is a man as the basis for the nation's survival, hastily changing the election system during the state of emergency declared in Hungary due to the COVID-19 pandemic without consulting the nation's constituents, and issues related to the status and salary of judges. These opinions formed the basis of the EU Commission's decision to activate Article 7 of the Treaty of the European Union for the first time, which allows sanctions to be imposed on member states that violate fundamental values of the European Union and freeze urgent aid funds amounting to billions of euros to Hungary. As Hungary is struggling with its difficult economic situation, which has worsened with the Ukraine war, the government in Budapest is working slowly and quietly to meet the demands of the European Union.

The current confrontation between the European Union and Hungary stems from the bureaucrats in Brussels' assumption that there is a state of democratic devaluation in Hungary, devaluation of the independence of the courts, and accusations of corruption regarding funds received from the European Union", Beinert explains, "and I must add a personal element to this: we have a very charismatic prime minister, who has been in office for many years. This is his fifth term in office, and he will not accept large countries in the EU – like Germany and France – patronizing small countries.

"During the immigration crisis, Orbán was the only European leader who had completely differing views on the issue, contrary to Germany's 'culture of hospitality'. This created many conflicts with the European Union, especially since people have realized that Orbán was right in his opposition. Hungary is a full member of the European Union and NATO, and we are not shy to express our opinions, even when there is a need for unanimous agreement on important issues. This sometimes complicates things. The Hungarian government protects what it considers to be Hungary's national interests.'

Investments are flowing

Beinert mentions, that Hungary was also under a major attack in 2012, after the adoption of the new media regulation which was designed to achieve the government's goal of creating competition in the media and promise of it being balanced politically. In the latest report on freedom of the press by the organization Reporters Without Borders, which is written in Paris, Hungary was placed 85th out of 180 countries. Israel, by the way, is in 86th place. The report emphasized that the power Orbán and his political party have control of not only Hungarian public broadcasting but also in the "media empire" –"The Central European Journalism and Communication Foundation" – which operates about 500 national and local media outlets to "those who serve the government". The report emphasizes that independent media outlets hold central positions in the media market in the national arena, even though they are subject to political, economic, and regulatory pressures.

"Today the media in Hungary is much more diverse and balanced", Beinert claims, "the opposition has their own newspapers, their own television stations. The public has access to many different opinions, although extreme views – from the Right and the Left, are prohibited. There are large demonstrations in the streets against the government. At the time, there were demonstrations against the internet tax which was planned by the government but was canceled. Now teachers are protesting for a raise. It is a fully democratic country. You can criticize the government in the media and on the street.

"The opposition in Hungary is very divided. However, three years ago in the municipal elections, the opposition united and managed to defeat Fidesz in Budapest and other large cities. Therefore, people cannot claim that Hungary's governmental system is monolithic. The fact that the government received a two-thirds majority in free and democratic general elections for the fourth time in a row is hard for the Opposition to accept and for liberals in Europe to swallow. The fact that the majority overwhelmingly support the prime minister grants him flexibility in running the country.

"Orbán was a European Union leader who had completely different ideas about the refugee crisis and opposed Germany's 'culture of hospitality'. This resulted in numerous clashes with the EU, especially since people have realized that Orbán was right in his opposition."

"Hungary is very different than most other countries, including Israel, in that it has a unique political and parliamentary structure. The government is also unique in conducting referendums. The population is asked its stance on various issues. These are not legally valid referendums, but rather they are trying to understand the public's 'political wishes', it is a means that the government uses to appeal directly to the public between elections. For example, the most recent referendum on the sanctions against Russia. The government initiated a referendum to find out the people's position. Some 1.4 million people participated in the poll (only about 17% of all those with the right to vote in Hungary, 97% of the participants expressed opposition to sanctions against Russia). This result gave the government public legitimacy in its opposition to the sanctions."

Q: Are multinational companies boycotting Hungary because of the claim that it is no longer a democracy?

"Not at all. In the last few years, Hungary has attracted increasing amounts of foreign investments. These large investments have come from Germany, China, and the US. Large multinational corporations are happy to work here. The German company 'Bosch' opened a large R&D center here, 'Audi' has sizeable investments also in the fields of research and development, BMW is building a large factory for electric vehicles in Eastern Hungary. Chinese investors, competing with Germany, are investing here in the development of car batteries. Foreign multinational corporations investing in Hungary are content with the government's policies and employment laws. They don't have any complaints – if anything, the opposite. Hungary is still cheaper than other countries, employment laws here encourage investments, and there's a lot of talent."

Additionally, Israeli tourists continue traveling to Hungary – mainly to Budapest, despite the threatening claims of the opposition about what is allegedly happening here. Since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have flocked to Hungary. "Budapest has become one of the safest cities in Europe for Jews and for Israelis", says Rabbi Shlomo Koves, of the Chabad movement, who is the rabbi of the Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation (EMIH) and Hungary's chief military rabbi.

"Despite that many Jewish Hungarians identify with the left and liberal political parties, there has not been a mass departure of Jews from the country. Annually there have been around 50 - 60 anti-Semitic attacks, mainly verbal assaults. That does not mean that there is no antisemitic sentiment among Hungarians. The government's positions aren't perfect either: It is hard for Hungarians to accept their role in the Holocaust and the government-backed antisemitism in the 1920s and 1930s before WWII.

"However, Orbán's government has made significant progress in the fight against antisemitism, they passed a law against Holocaust denial, and with our initiative a statement was included in the constitution that states that violating the right of minorities is a civil offense, we went through the school textbooks together and made corrections in content concerning Judaism. Some of the corrections included the Jewish role in the German experience, the holocaust, and modern Israel. Two-thirds of our recommendations were adopted. The government's pro-Israel approach affects the general atmosphere in the country. Orbán does not hide his good relationship with Israel. He even stated on one of his bi-weekly radio broadcasts that Israel is a role model for Hungary."

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