In a statement released by the European Union’s mission to Israel, the EU said it would not “offer a platform” to someone with values antithesis to those of the 27-member union.
“The EU Delegation to Israel is looking forward to celebrating Europe Day on May 9, as it does every year. Regrettably, this year we have decided to cancel the diplomatic reception, as we do not want to offer a platform to someone whose views contradict the values the European Union stands for.”
“However, the Europe Day cultural event for the Israeli public will be maintained to celebrate with our friends and partners in Israel the strong and constructive bilateral relationship.”
On Sunday, Ben-Gvir indicated he planned on attending the event, despite opposition from the EU.
Ben-Gvir was selected last week to be the government's representative to the celebration, sparking outrage from EU officials, who requested that a different representative be sent.
In response, a spokesperson for Ben-Gvir said: “The minister believes that even if EU representatives ‘do not endorse his political views,’ as they said in their statement, they understand very well that Israel is a democracy, and in a democracy different views are permitted.”
