Calls from far-right figures to 'cleanse' Europe of Muslims and commit a 'Srebrenica 2.0' are now symbolically reinforced by the backdrop of Israel's war on Gaza
In the 1990s, Europe's post-fascist and post-Nazi political parties were clear in rejecting Israel on the grounds of their antisemitism.
Seen largely as an extension of the United States' neocolonialism, these parties mobilised against the US as a leader of the liberal world order.
Similarly, Israel rejected the leaders of the far right. Consider Jorg Haider, one of Europe's first successful far-right leaders, who was barred from entering Israel.
Much has changed since then.
While an untypical far-right leader like Geert Wilders openly embraced Israel from the start, positioning himself as a defender of Jewish life in the Netherlands, it took the traditional far right much longer to become accepted by Israeli policy circles.
In December 2010, a historic trip took place when the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), Belgium's Vlaams Belang, the German Freedom Party, and the Sweden Democrats travelled to Israel and signed the so-called "Jerusalem Declaration".
This declaration affirmed Israel's "right to defend itself" against terror, stating: "We stand at the vanguard in the fight for the western, democratic community" against the "totalitarian threat" of "fundamentalist Islam".
Islam, they alleged, was the common enemy of both Europe and Israel. (more...)
Furthering the 'far-right international': Likud joins the Patriots for Europe
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