Analysis
Democratic Security
Frugal Romanian PM Bolojan Ousted – What’s Next?
7 May 2026
8 May 2026
As the war in the Middle East continues with no clear end in sight, CEE countries change their view of Israel.
In October 2026 Hungary will mark the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising. Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attend the ceremony in Budapest, only days after pledging to reverse Viktor Orbán’s June 2025 withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.
Behind the procedural tension sits a wider gap that has opened up between the Central and Eastern European countries, which have historically been Israel’s closest defenders inside the EU and the publics their governments answer to.
Different surveys have been conducted to assess Israel’s public perception in CEE. While all of them employ different methodologies and definitions, their findings are noteworthy.