‘Concrete warnings’ force Diaspora Minister to cancel trip to Brussels

Amichai Chikli said his physical safety was the concern, while an anti-Israel NGO claimed potential legal action against him had deterred the minister.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli was forced to cancel his visit to the European Parliament to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day Monday due to concerns that were purposefully left vague.

“In light of concrete warnings, and in accordance with the guidance of security officials,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced Sunday night, the minister would not be flying to Brussels.

The announcement is considered quite unusual, and no further information was forthcoming from the PMO.

Chikli was scheduled to speak at a side event of the remembrance ceremony.

European website Euronews reported that families of Hamas hostages and European Jewish leaders had protested to members of the Parliament as well as its president that the minister was not a “worthy representative” as he opposed the current hostage deal.

Chikli had said that his vote against the agreement was due to the sheer number of the Palestinian prisoners who were to be released in exchange, as well as the fact that so many were multiple murderers.

“Given the high rates of return to terrorism directly and indirectly (which stand at about 80%), this deal… could very likely be a death sentence for dozens if not hundreds of Israelis” in the future, he added.

“I also fear that given the threshold set at this stage, we will have difficulty realizing Phase 2, in which we will be required to pay higher prices for soldiers and men of fighting age.”

Those opposing his presence also wrote of Chikli’s ostensible “extreme and polarizing positions” in supporting far-right politicians in Europe whose parties have had a history of antisemitism but are currently supportive of Israel, recognizing the threat of Muslim extremism in their own countries.

The minister’s participation “could overshadow the vital message of the conference and undermine the credibility of the European Parliament’s efforts to combat antisemitism and hatred,” they wrote.

Chikli claimed that the directive not to go was given by the National Security Council and had to do with his physical security.

“I regretted receiving an instruction this evening from security officials to cancel my participation in the International Holocaust Remembrance Day events in the European Parliament,” he said. “Unfortunately, the capital of Europe, Brussels, has become an unsafe place for Jews and Israelis.”

By contrast, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), which has filed criminal complaints in many countries against IDF soldiers for war crimes they allegedly committed in Gaza, claimed Chikli’s cancellation as their victory.

“The minister who threatened HRF chairman Dyab Aboujahjah canceled a visit to Brussels, citing ‘security concerns,’” the group posted to X. “We are convinced that this decision has more to do with avoiding justice and legal action.”

Earlier this month, Chikli had written on X in reply to a post by the chairman, “Hello to our human rights activist. Keep an eye on your pager,” referring to Israel’s successful attack in September on a few thousand Hezbollah terrorists by detonating beepers that had been booby-trapped then sold to the terror organization by third parties.

The Belgian-Lebanese Aboujahjah claimed that the poke was an “open threat” that was “a blatant act of terrorism and incitement” and that he would be filing a lawsuit against the minister.

Amichai ChikliEuropean ParliamentHind Rajab Foundationhostage deal