Calin Georgescu promised to move Romania’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, “and not to respect” the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the report stated.
Romania has accused Israel’s minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli, of interfering in its elections after he made a phone call to “radical-right” presidential candidate, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
Haaretz said the candidate, Calin Georgescu, “has a long record of glorifying the country’s Nazi collaborationist leaders.”
The phone call, the paper said, was publicized by far-right media outlets in Romania and internationally and Georgescu “found the call useful because he is under criticism for his long history of praise for antisemitic Romanian leaders” as well as “organizations who took part in the mass murder of the country’s Jews.”
Romania is upset at “Israel” for interfering in its presidential election to support the Nazi candidate. “Israel” seeks to foster Jew-hate everywhere to justify its illegitimate and genocidal existence https://t.co/mnxp8sRdhB pic.twitter.com/qwjuHW9mbP
— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) December 1, 2024
Romania’s ambassador to Israel reportedly told Haaretz that “Chikli’s conduct hurts his country’s close relationship with Israel, and emphasized that Romania never intervened in Israeli politics in a similar manner.”
Georgescu promised to move Romania’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, “and not to respect” the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the report stated.
Romanian Investigation
The presidential candidate won 24 percent of the vote in the first round of the Romanian presidential election over a week ago, and was supposed to face off against liberal politician Elena Lasconi.
Romania accuses Israel of election interference after Netanyahu minister’s call with pro-Nazi candidatehttps://t.co/4ZC1c6Xd9M
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) December 1, 2024
“But authorities in Romania are now investigating potential foreign intervention by Russia and other countries in the election, and therefore the first-round results may be annulled,” said Haaretz.
The paper said it was not the first time that Chikli had intervened in the elections of another country “by expressing support for a far-right candidate with a damning record on antisemitism and the Holocaust.”
French Elections
Earlier this year, Chikli had endorsed the party of far-right leader Marine Le Pen, “leading to a crisis in Israeli-French relations.”
Haaretz also said that in August 2023, Israel’s Ambassador Reuven Azar “met George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians on the orders of then-Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.”
‘Obligation’ – ICC Urges Member States to Comply over Arrest Warrants
The paper said the Israeli embassy in Romania “told media outlets in the country that Chikli did not initiate the conversation with Georgescu.” Meanwhile, Chikli deleted posts he shared on X about the phone discussion.
The ICC issued arrest warrants last month for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on charges of “crimes against humanity and war crimes,” compelling the ICC’s 124 member states to arrest them should they enter their territory.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
