Israel cancels minister’s Brussels trip citing security threats

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed diaspora affairs minister Amichai Chikli to cancel his planned visit to the European Parliament in Brussels this week, citing security concerns.

The decision was made “in light of concrete warnings, and in accordance with the guidance of security officials,” according to a statement released by the prime minister’s office. 

Israeli sources told Euronews the warnings had come from Israel’s security services and not from the Belgian authorities. No further details have been disclosed about the nature of the threat.

In a statement released on Sunday, minister Chikli said he “regretted receiving instructions from security officials” to cancel his participation in the holocaust memorial event. “Unfortunately, the capital of Europe has become an unsafe place for Jews and Israelis,” he added.

Chikli was slated to speak at a holocaust memorial event in the European Parliament on Tuesday 28 January, organised by two lawmakers belonging to the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), Lukas Mandl and Andrey Kovatchev.

But in a letter to the two MEPs, over 40 relatives of Israeli hostages taken captive by Hamas in October 2023 had called for minister Chikli’s invite to be rescinded due to his opposition to the hostage-ceasefire deal, his public comments calling for the expulsion of people from Gaza and southern Lebanon, and his “support” for far-right European politicians.

Chikli, who hails from the Likud party of prime minister Netanyahu, was among just two Likud cabinet members to vote against a deal that secured the current ceasefire in Gaza and the phased return of the Israeli hostage kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October 2023.

“Minister Chikli’s extremist and divisive positions do not reflect the values or voices of the broader Israeli public or global Jewish communities,” the letter, also signed by 32 Jewish community leaders, reads.

Dan Sobovitz, who coordinated the letter, told Euronews he regretted an event on such an important topic had to be cancelled but emphasised the signatories’ satisfaction that it was not overshadowed by the presence of a highly controversial figure.

“Holocaust Remembrance Day and the fight against antisemitism are far too important to be misused by those who sow hatred and fear in our increasingly polarised societies,” Sobovitz said. “It is also vital that Israeli ministers understand that by voting against the hostage-ceasefire deal, they oppose not only the vast majority of the Israeli public but also the Jewish world at large, who overwhelmingly support this life-saving agreement.”

Sobovitz also thanked the parliament and Swedish MEP Evin Incir for spearheading efforts to “ensure that this solemn occasion remains dignified and unifying.”

MEP Incir is understood to have rallied support for the hostage relatives’ calls for Chikli’s invite to be withdrawn. In a note to fellow lawmakers seen by Euronews, Incir said: “As lawmakers (…) it is our responsibility to uphold international law, human rights, and promote peace. Keeping the invitation to Chikli would have contradicted the core values of the EU.”

“Antisemitism is a pressing and growing concern that necessitates our collective action and solidarity. Furthermore, we have a responsibility to take our share of responsibility in maintaining the life-saving agreement that gives hope to millions in Israel, Palestine, and around the world,” Incir added.

Tal Rabina, strategic director of the European Jewish Association, which supported the organisation of the event, has expressed regret that the minister was forced to cancel his appearance.

“The fact that in 2025, an Israeli minister was forced to cancel his visit to a Western European country for security reasons is more evidence than anything else that all the leaders’ “never again” declarations are hollow,” Rabina said.

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Chikli was also due to intervene in an event titled “Defending Western Values in the European Parliament” organised by the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group on Tuesday morning.

Foundation claims Chikli is “avoiding justice”

The Hind Rajab Foundation, which often files legal complaints against Israeli soldiers based on alleged human rights violations, has said it believes the decision to cancel the visit “has more to do with avoiding justice and legal action.”

Its founder Dyab Abou Jahjah, a political activist from southern Lebanon, announced earlier this month he would lodge a legal complaint with the Belgian public prosecutor after minister Chikli addressed him in a threatening message on social media platform X.

On January 6, Chikli wrote: “Hello to our human rights activist. Watch out for your pager,” referencing a September 2024 attack carried out by Israel targeting hundreds of pagers intended for use by the Lebanese Shia militant Hezbollah, which are believed to have also killed civilian bystanders.

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Chikli shared a Jerusalem Post article which says Jahjah had joined Hezbollah in his youth, citing a New York Times article.

Euronews has contacted both Jahjah and the Hind Rajab for further comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.