On the 5th September 2025, the Times of Israel published a French article titled ‘Israel Is not the only Jewish state in the world: these micronations that have made Judaism their official religion’.
The article explores several micronations that have adopted Judaism as their official religion, including Levinia and Akhzivland. It explores how these communities define Jewish identity and sovereignty, while also touching on how debates over Israel and the genocide against Palestinians have created divisions within the micronational community.
Mentioned in the article is Hokoria and Salanda, specifically the events of October 2023 when Hokoria severed ties with Salanda in light of Israel’s war against Hamas. Arōnis I was the Koro at the time, with his statement being quoted in the article.
A surprising discovery
Arōnis I was no longer Koro when the article was published and did not actually discover that he had been quoted until several months later. He was told about the article by his friend Niall on 13 December 2025, shortly after landing in Fuerteventura.
“My first response was simply ‘WHAT?!’” Arōnis told The Dam Times.
He had only just regained internet access while sitting on a bus at the airport when the notification came through.
“I was sitting next to my mum and immediately thought ‘okay so how exactly am I going to explain THIS?!’”
Arōnis had not expected the statement to reach an international publication, particularly not one based around the very issue he had been commenting on.
“At the moment it happened it was honestly terrifying,” he said. “Like how did a French-speaking journalist from the Times of Israel of all things find MY quote out of all the micronational leaders on earth?”
While he can now find the situation amusing, Arōnis said he was initially shocked and concerned about the implications of having his words published internationally.
The reaction for people around Arōnis
The article eventually became something of a story in its own right.
Arōnis never ended up explaining the article to his mum, but he did show it to his politics teacher after remembering it while sitting in an English lesson. His politics teacher was reportedly “utterly perplexed” by the discovery and found it amusing, before showing the article to his brother, who is involved in the UK’s Labour Party.
His history teacher also became aware of it and was left wondering how the quote had ended up in the article. For the rest of the day, Arōnis said other students were approaching him asking “Wait were you in the Israeli news?”.
Does he still stand by it?
Despite the passage of time and Hokoria’s subsequent restoration of relations with Salanda, Arōnis says he still stands by the views expressed in the quote.
“Antisemitism is a real problem around the world but it’s no secret Israel do use it as a social shield from criticism,” he said.
He also argued that the actions of the Israeli state have contributed to rising antisemitism, while stressing that this should not be used to blame Jewish people as a whole for the actions of a state.
“It’s unfair that an entire religion should be blamed for the actions of a state” he said.
Putting differences aside
Arōnis said he was pleased to see Hokoria and Salanda repair their relationship, describing it as a sign that people can put major differences aside and continue to get along.
“It’s nice to see people can put their differences aside which is becoming increasingly rare in today’s world” he said.
He has never had a particular issue with Levinia either, arguing that states do not necessarily need to agree with one another on every issue to maintain a relationship.
“I don’t really believe we need to necessarily agree with every opinion another state has to get along with them”
Should micronations have foreign policy?
For Arōnis, the answer is fairly simple. Yes.
He argues that if micronations are essentially unrecognised governments, it makes sense for them to behave in some ways like recognised governments, including commenting on international affairs.
“It’s a way for people to make their voices heard,” he said.
However, he believes there should be a reason behind such statements rather than micronations simply commenting because governments are expected to.
“I do think it’s better though when micronations do this for a reason rather than only because governments are expected to comment on things, otherwise it just feels like ticking boxes”
How Hokoria’s stance on Israel and Palestine has changed
Hokoria’s position on Israel and Palestine has changed considerably since the state’s founding.
Both were originally recognised under Hokoria’s policy of recognising UN member nations. In September 2023, however, the government revoked recognition of the Fatah-controlled Palestinian government after comments by Mahmoud Abbas appeared to cast doubt on the Holocaust.
Following the October 7th attacks, Hokoria condemned Hamas’ actions while also expressing concern over Palestinian deaths, stating that “both sides have committed atrocious acts against each other” and that accountability was needed for both.
On 27th October 2023, Hokoria revoked recognition of the Israeli government while continuing to recognise its borders under UN General Assembly Resolution 181. By December, it had gone further and revoked recognition of Israel entirely, arguing that Israel was occupying Palestinian land.
The position changed again under Christopher Slant as Prime Minister. In February 2025, the government said it was “keen for two states to exist” and condemned both Hamas’ attacks on civilians and what it described as the “ongoing genocide against Palestinians”.
Hokoria’s position has therefore shifted from recognising both states to withdrawing recognition of Israel before returning towards support for a two-state solution.
A reasonable stance or too scared to go further?
Hokoria’s position has changed considerably, but its current stance remains one of condemning both Israel and Hamas while supporting a two-state solution.
Is this a reasonable attempt at a balanced foreign policy or is Hokoria simply unwilling to go further?
The answer is perhaps unclear. Hokoria has taken strong positions in the past, including completely withdrawing recognition of Israel, yet has since moved towards a more moderate position focused on a two-state solution.
For a micronation, there is also the question of how much influence such statements can actually have. Hokoria may be able to make its position known, but it has little ability to influence events thousands of miles away.