Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday evening awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor to Prime Minister of Muslim-majority Albania Edi Rama, in recognition of his steadfast support for the Jewish state following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, as well as his strong stance against antisemitism.
“I am proud to present you with the Presidential Medal of Honor—the highest civilian decoration in Israel. This medal is awarded to individuals who illuminate the world with exceptional leadership, moral clarity, democratic values and an unbreakable friendship with the Jewish people and the State of Israel,” Herzog said at the ceremony in Jerusalem.
“When the time came to turn words into action, you rose to the challenge with courage. In our darkest hour, after the horrific Hamas attack on Israel—the most devastating assault on the Jewish people since the Holocaust—you refused to succumb to international pressure. You held fast to your moral compass, and expressed deep friendship and vital support for Israel,” he added.
“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the Albanian people, and first and foremost, on behalf of all Albanians—Muslims and Christians—who put themselves and their lives on the line during the darkest hour of modern history, and turned our country into the only one in Europe that ended the Second World War with more Jews than it started with,” Rama said at the ceremony on Sunday.
“We do everything we can to be vocal on antisemitism, we have passed legislation, and promoted Holocaust education in our schools. Because, for us, this is not just about the Jews—it is about humanity,” he continued.
“In this particularly difficult moment, there are innocent people held in the dungeons of Hamas. I want to repeat—Albania has always supported a two-state solution, but it is our view that there is no solution while Hamas is around. Hamas is not a resistance movement. Hamas are the Nazis of the new century, and as history has taught us—there is no compromise with Nazis,” he added.
The leaders also held a meeting at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem focused on regional developments and the need to secure the release of the 59 hostages being held by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
Last September, Albania announced it would open a commercial liaison office in Jerusalem, during a visit by Herzog to Tirana.
The trip to the Albanian capital marked the first official visit of Israel’s head of state to the Balkan nation. Herzog was accompanied by Idit Ohel, an Israeli of Serbian origin whose son Alon was taken hostage when Hamas attacked the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7, 2023.