The European Union's embassy in Israel canceled its annual Europe Day party, which was scheduled for May 9, to prevent Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's far-right national

security minister, from speaking at the event. EU officials asked Ben-Gvir not to attend as many of his previous statements and views contradict the values that the European Union represents. However, Ben-Gvir insisted on attending and speaking at the party, which led to the embassy's decision to cancel the event altogether.

In response to the cancellation, Ben-Gvir criticized the EU's undiplomatic behavior and accused them of stifling free speech. He had planned to criticize EU governments for funding initiatives that he believed harm Israeli soldiers. The decision to cancel the event followed a meeting of ambassadors from European member states in Israel, and nearly all of them voted to cancel the event, except for Hungary and Poland, which also have right-wing governments like Israel. The embassy will still hold a celebration for the Israeli public. Photo by דוד דנברג, Wikimedia commons.