Israeli president Isaac Herzog visited Vilnius Monday and met with Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda at the Office of President, held a joint press conference with the Lithuanian president and attended a business forum event. President Herzog also met with the Lithuanian Jewish Community at the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius earlier Monday morning.

Lithuanian television news channels reported the visit but focused on protests outside the Office of President and Government House instead.

The major evening news outlets included three points from the press conference:

1. Nausėda called for immediate measures to remedy what he called the humanitarian situation in Gaza;

2. Herzog countered by saying Israel had and is delivering large volumes of food and humanitarian aid to Gaza;

3. Nausėda said Israel is a leader in the development and production of weaponry.

Perhaps most importantly, several of the television channels quoted an aide of Nausėda’s saying Lithuania had no plans to recognize a state of Palestine in the United Nations General Assemble for the foreseeable future.

Pro-Israel supporters came to counter-protest the Hamas boosters at the Office of President and Government House. The Palestinian protestors had a permit from the city of Vilnius and included a number of non-Lithuanian speakers who provided sound-bytes in accented English. Eyewitnesses estimated around 50 people turned out to protest president Herzog and around 15 to 20 supporters of Israel showed up at Government House. Police attempted to move on Israel supporters there. The protest were held from the morning till early evening at multiple locations in central Vilnius

President Herzog has Litvak roots hailing from the area in and around Šeduva in central Lithuania.