Israel's ambassador to Romania criticized for meeting Romanian party head accused of antisemitism

Israeli Ambassador to Romania Reuven Azar met on Wednesday with George Simion, the leader of Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), a controversial right-wing opposition party accused of antisemitism.

The party, which once considered Holocaust education a “minor topic,” currently holds 12% of the government's parliamentary seats and is expected to play a prominent role in Romanian politics in the near future.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen greenlighted the meeting with the controversial Romanian opposition politician, who also met Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council. Dagan was reportedly present in an effort to gather European right-wing support for Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, known internationally as the West Bank.

Like many other Eastern European countries, Romania has been reluctant to resume responsibility for its collaboration with Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.

In order to meet the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s demand for resuming contact, Simion released an official statement where he “acknowledged the responsibility of Romania for the Holocaust of the Romanian Jews (in the territories controlled by Romania during World War 2), and expressed his deepest regret.” 

However, Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, criticized the Israeli-Romanian high-level meeting, arguing that Simion failed to acknowledge the Romanian regime’s open collaboration with Nazi Germany, as well as its involvement in reportedly initiating some of the mass killings of Jews during the Second World War.

Romania became an official ally of Nazi Germany during the years between 1940 and 1944. Approximately 400,000 Romanian Jews were murdered during the Holocaust as a result of the Nazi German-Romanian collaboration.

Following the war, most of the remaining 300,000 Romanian Jews immigrated to the Jewish state.

The father of former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was born in Romania and arrested by British authorities after entering Mandatory Palestine prior to the re-establishment of Israel.

However, Israel's Foreign Ministry justified the meeting by stressing the need for cooperation in combating antisemitism.

“This is an initial meeting with the party representatives and the discussion with the party in the future will be based on their commitment in this statement. The two discussed the importance of commemorating the Holocaust and the fight against antisemitism, bilateral relations and regional issues,” according to the statement.

In February, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen reached out to Romania and Bulgaria to strengthen bilateral relations and present a “common front” against Iran.