Final Word from Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Lidové noviny reported on Nov. 6 of last year that the traditional speech by the doyen of the Prague diplomatic community around the time of the Oct. 28 national holiday was canceled by the Castle last time, apparently because it would have been given by the Palestinian ambassador, Khaled Alattrash. Czechoslovakia recognized Palestine in 1988, and Alattrash has served in Prague since Sept. 30, 2014, when his credentials were accepted by Pres. Miloš Zeman, along with those of the ambassadors of Turkey, Finland, the U.S., Ghana and Norway. Zeman has always been a staunch supporter of Israel and got into trouble as PM in Feb. 2002 for comparing Yasir Arafat to Adolf Hitler. Yet Zeman still accepted Alattrash as the new Palestinian ambassador in Sept. 2014. Dir. Petr Hladík of the Czech foreign ministry said on Czech TV's 168 hodin on Sun. that the country has never recognized Palestine as a state and does not. Yet Palestine has an ambassador. This is going to take some explaining. [ Czech Yasser State of Palestine United States Andrew Schapiro PLO ]