Facing growing isolation over the war in Gaza, Israel is increasingly allying itself with Europe’s far right, despite some parties’ legacies of antisemitism.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused foreign critics of Israel’s conduct in Gaza of fanning hate against Jews, but his government has mostly been comfortable with politicians so long as they support Israel.
After a French investigative site on Oct. 28 alleged that far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella made derogatory remarks about Jews as a teenager, Netanyahu’s minister in charge of combatting antisemitism defended him.
Amichai Chikli said that Bardella, who could become prime minister if frontrunner Marine Le Pen wins next year’s presidential election, “is one of the clearest voices in Europe against Hamas.”
He pointed to his meetings on a visit to Israel last year with survivors of Hamas’ 2023 attack, the deadliest ever against Israel which responded with its massive military campaign in Gaza.
In 2000, Israel recalled its ambassador to Austria and backed an international shaming campaign after the formation of a government that included the Freedom Party, founded by former Nazis.
But Netanyahu’s government has moved to normalize ties with the Freedom Party.
Chikli in September hailed a “historic turning point” after Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl delivered a speech vowing that if in power, his government’s program would include “combatting antisemitism and fighting against anti-Zionism.”
Israel has also courted other far-right leaders in Europe, including in Sweden, Spain and Britain, with Israeli politicians bonding over shared concerns about Muslim migration to the West.
Farther afield, Israel has hailed as a watershed its relations in Latin America after the election of hard-right, pro-Israel presidents in Argentina and Colombia.
One bridge too far, at least for now, is Germany, with Israeli officials still shunning the far-right AfD.
Jeremy Issacharoff, Israel’s ambassador in Berlin from 2017 to 2022, as the AfD was emerging, said that some European far-right parties were looking for ways to show they have evolved from past antisemitism.
By building relations with Israel, “they get a sort of kosher certificate,” Issacharoff told AFP.
