Hungary does not support the European Union’s decision to label products manufactured in the West Bank, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó has said, calling the move “an inefficient instrument. It is irrational and does not contribute to a solution [to the Arab–Israeli conflict] but causes damage.”

Szijjártó spoke Monday to the Israel Council on Foreign Relations (ICFR), which operates under the auspices of the World Jewish Congress, at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. His address focused mostly on the migration crisis, which he said was the most serious challenge the European Union has ever faced.

The European Union has an “unbearable burden on its shoulders” in dealing with the wave of migrants through its borders, Szijjártó said, and Hungarians have come under attack and been labeled xenophobic and fascist for speaking honestly and openly about the issue.

“The allegation that Hungary is against the European value of freedom of movement is hypocritical,” he said. “We are only trying to prevent people from crossing our borders illegally.”

The term “refugee crisis” is a misnomer, Szijjártó added. “Refugees are people fleeing for their lives; however, those who move from Greece to Macedonia or Croatia to Hungary are motivated by economics.”

There are at least 30-35 million people south of Europe who can easily decide to ‘hit the road,’” Szijjártó said, adding that there is no successful common European response to the daily influx of asylum seekers. “The ability to protect our borders is our number one priority. If we cannot protect our borders, we cannot protect our people… Twenty-eight EU member states should be able to defend the southern border of Greece.”

In Szijjártó’s opinion, the EU has taken the wrong approach in dealing with this issue. It should help would-be migrants stay at home by dealing with the root causes of the problem, he said.

“The migrant crisis is not independent of recent events in Paris. Hundreds of thousands of young men have come to Europe,” he said. “Some have been involved in armed conflict. Many are arriving from countries that have actually been in conflict with Europe.”

Asked about the rise of right-wing extremism in Europe, Szijjártó declared that as long as the ruling Fidesz party remains in power, extremists – and in particular the Jobbik party – will be weak.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)