Israeli president expected in Lithuania when Middle East tensions ease – presidential aide

VILNIUS – Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Lithuania is still being planned but could take place after tensions in the Middle East subside, Asta Skaisgiryte, President Gitanas Nauseda's chief foreign policy advisor said on Tuesday. 

"His visit is still on our agenda, but we want the situation in the Middle East to calm down a bit," Skaisgiryte told the Ziniu Radijas radio station. 

"That would definitely provide a better backdrop for the Israeli president's visit, because it is still very tense there now," she added.

According to diplomatic sources, Herzog's visit to Lithuania was initially planned for June but was then postponed to the fall.

Skaisgiryte said that no specific date for the visit has yet been set.

According to information available to BNS, Herzog had earlier planned to visit all three Baltic states.

The last Israeli president to visit Lithuania was Shimon Peres in 2013.

In recent months, Israel has had difficulty rallying global support for its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with Western allies pressing the Jewish state to reach a ceasefire deal.

The international community is concerned about Israel's use of disproportionate force in the conflict, civilian casualties, and the humanitarian situation in the world's most densely populated area.

Israel, however, insists that it aims to eradicate the terrorist organization and claims that Hamas uses civilians as human shields.

According to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, more than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Palestinian territory.

Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip last October after Hamas carried out a surprise attack in the southern part of the country, killing almost 1,200 people, mostly civilians.