Diplomatic Events

President Isaac Herzog  on Tuesday, 1 October 2024, received the diplomatic credentials of new ambassadors to Israel: Mr. Stefaan Thijs, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium; Ms. Barbara Mestanova, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic; Mr. Simon Geissbuhler, Ambassador of Switzerland; Ms. Alexandra Rydmark, Ambassador of Sweden; and Mr. Henry Mokono, Ambassador of Papua New Guinea, who was taking office as his nation’s first permanent ambassador to Israel with their embassy in Jerusalem.

In his remarks to the ambassadors, President Herzog said, “These are not ordinary days. We are being challenged by an empire of evil emanating from Tehran, and therefore we are fighting. We are marking one year to the most horrific massacre of Israelis and Jews since the Holocaust down south. That's why we went to war in Gaza in order to change the entire situation and enable a better future for the Israelis and the Palestinians. And now we are fighting in Lebanon, fighting Hezbollah, to do the same in order to change the equation and enable a better life, first of all, for Israeli citizens on the border, to enable them to come back home. And secondly, of course, I think that there offers an opportunity to the people of Lebanon to have a better future without the oppression of Hezbollah. And most importantly, it calls for the international community to be extremely proactive in blocking the aspirations of Iran to derail the region and enable a better future for our region. We don't have war with the people of Iran.”

He added, “Switzerland has been always involved in humanitarian pursuits of bringing hostages back home in so many ways. We have 101 hostages out there for a year already in the dungeons and caves of Gaza, in the tunnels of Gaza, going through Hell. And we urge the international community now, actually now, following the crisis that's going on in Lebanon and the Israeli attacks against Hezbollah, which can bring a huge strategic change, to use this opportunity both to bring calm to our border with Lebanon, to enable our citizens to go back home, to bring a better future for the people of Lebanon, and bring our hostages back home. And this is our call to the international community.”