Netanyahu's office praised the Czech vote on Saturday, and said the Israeli prime minister will visit Prague this week en route to Germany to personally thank Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas, The Associated Press reported.
The Czech Republic was the only EU state to vote against the Palestinian Authority's upgrade to observer state status, which was passed at the UN General Assembly with 138 votes in favor, nine against, and 41 abstentions on November 29.
Czechs joined the ranks of Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Panama, and the United States.
The central European state has long backed Israel and its main ally, the United States. Its center-right government has distanced itself from the European mainstream on many issues, ranging from diplomacy and security to economic policy.
Pundits say the Czech Republic's pro-Israeli stance could also be a reaction to its effort to undo the legacy of a former Czechoslovakia that severed diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv after the 1967 Six-Day War.
Czechoslovakia supported the Palestinian Liberation Organization when it was in open conflict with Israel, and awarded its later leader Yasser Arafat the highest state medal.
The opposition argues that Prague's support for Israel and its "no" vote against the Palestinian Authority's bid for an elevated UN status would isolate the Czechs.
"The Social Democrats would never allow such a departure from the balanced policy approach and from European policy," said Lubomir Zaoralek, deputy chairman of the Social Democrats.
He added, "I regard it as a mistake ... It shows the Czech Republic is traveling its own road and does not care about European policy."
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