Pres. Herzog hosts Ramadan meal, pushes for tackling crime and deepening regional ties

Israeli President Isaac Herzog hosted diplomats and community leaders at the President’s Residence on Monday for Iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan. The gathering underscored the need to address rising violence among Israel’s Arab community and deepen regional partnerships.

In his remarks, Herzog described the surge of violence in Israel’s Arab society as unacceptable. “We cannot accept the current reality,” he said. “Only two months into this year, and they have already been the bloodiest of all. We are in a state of emergency. This is a national security threat of the highest order.”

On the regional front, Herzog also praised the Abraham Accords as a platform for broader partnership. “Expanding the circle of peace, normalization, and the Abraham Accords is a shared interest of all the peoples of the region,” he said, adding that further progress depends on standing “together against the perpetrators of terror, particularly from Tehran.”

Attendees included the ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania.