The main initiator of the new approach of Czechoslovakia towards Israel after the fall of the Iron Curtain was Václav Havel. He pledged to re-establish diplomatic relations with Israel already in his first speech as a Czechoslovak president, on New Year´s Day 1990, a promise fulfilled the following month. At the beginning of February 1990 V. Havel met then-Deputy Prime Minister S. Peres to prepare the way for the  historic agreement which was signed in Prague on February 9, 1990 by the Foreign Ministers Jiří Dienstbier and Moshe Arens. The reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Czechoslovakia and the State of Israel brought definitely the anti-Israeli policy of the former socialist countries to an end. In April of that year, Havel became the first leader of a free former Soviet bloc country to visit Israel. It was a groundbreaking event in the Czechoslovak – Israeli relations. On the trip he brought with him 180 Czech Jews and demonstrated the close ties between the both nations which he developed also in the following years. V. Havel offered Czechoslovakia as a transit country for soviet Jews immigrating to Israel, opposed the sale of weapons to regimes hostile to Israel and always spoke forcefully against anti-Semitism in Europe and in the world.

Thanks to the good will on both sides we could continue the tradition of a strategic Czechoslovak - Israeli friendship marked by the visit of the President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk to the Jewish communities in Palestine in 1927 or the military assistance to the newly established Jewish state in 1948. Also after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993 the Czech Republic and Slovakia kept and continues on backing Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East, as a country, whose security and welfare are important for world democracy and freedom, and of course as a country where an important part of our Jewish heritage is further developing.

Commemorating events in 2015

The Czech Embassy, the Slovak Embassy and the Czech Centre in Tel Aviv are going to commemorate the 25th anniversary with a festive evening on 9.2.2015 (PDF, 930 KB) on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Protocol on the reestablishment of diplomatic relations (Prague 1990). The most important Israeli leaders who were actively involved in the reestablishment of the relations will take part in a panel discussion (Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Arens, first Israeli ambassador in Prague Yoel Sher, Prof. Shlomo. Avineri and Chairman of Czechoslovak compatriots association Nathan Steiner), prominent guests are invited. The event will be connected with a screening of the newest documentary of Andrea Sedláčková “Václav Havel – Living in Freedom”. On the same day 9. 2. 2015 the Israeli and Czech MFA will public their joint press release concerning this anniversary.

With the mentioned festive evening a year of remembrance 2015 will begin. The Czech Embassy and Czech Centre in Tel Aviv will commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the reestablishment of the diplomatic relations as follows:

On 9. 2. 2015 at the Gallery on the Fence of the Embassy of the Czech Republic there will be opened an exhibition of photographs of Vaclav Havel through the Lens of Karel Cudlín.

There are several Israeli initiatives calling for naming streets in Israeli cities after Václav Havel, who was 25 years ago the first statesman of the former socialist bloc who visited the State of Israel (similar like T. G. Masaryk – he was in 1927 the first head of state who visited the Jewish settlements in Palestine. Almost every Israeli city has a street named after Masaryk, but there are no streets named after Havel). The first city with Václav Havel Street will be in the coming months in Jerusalem followed by Tel Aviv and Haifa. 

In course of 2015 we are planning to the unveiling of “Havel's Bank” by famous Czech artist Bořek Šípek at the campus of Hebrew University, presentation of one of Havel's plays by the Czech dance group Spitfire Company at the theater festival in Acre in autumn 2015 and the realization of a film festival / film evening about Václav Havel. An important event will be a conference about Václav Havel and his relationship to Israel. On the occasion of this anniversary, we are going to organize a friendly match in some sport discipline (hockey, football).