Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, who was scheduled to visit the European Parliament in Brussels to participate in the events marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, was ordered to cancel his flight by security officials.

The Prime Minister’s Office stated on Sunday: “In light of concrete threats, and based on directives from security officials, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli has to to cancel his trip to the European Parliament in Brussels.”

Chikli stated: “It is regrettable that the heart of Europe, Brussels, has become an unsafe place for Jews and Israelis.”

The chairman of the European Jewish Associations (EJA), Rabbi Menachem Margolin, said in response: “This evening, we were informed that Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli, who was scheduled to attend a special event in Brussels co-organized by the EJA on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, to address the indoctrinated hatred of Jews, had to cancel his arrival due to concrete security concerns and threats to his safety.”

“The fact that in 2025, an Israeli minister was forced to cancel his visit to a Western European country for security reasons is more evidence than anything else that all the leaders’ “never again” declarations are hollow. This year, International Holocaust Remembrance Day is more regrettable than ever—the worst since the Holocaust.”

It was also reported on Sunday that the Shin Bet ordered Israeli airlines not to fly to Paphos in Cyprus on Sunday.

Channel 12 reported that El Al, Arkia, and IsraAir were instructed to cancel all flights to Paphos “due to security reasons that cannot be publicized.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)