Israel’s ultra-right government cooperates with the right-wing extremists across Europe. Germany’s AfD is a potential partner. Berlin sticks to its policy of unconditional backing for the Israel government.
Israel’s ultra-right government seeks to deepen its cooperation with the extreme right in Europe and, in principle, does not rule out working with the AfD. Representatives of various parties aligned to the far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) bloc, now the third largest group in the European Parliament, attended an international conference in Israel last week. Organised by Israel’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs, it was billed as a gathering to discuss the fight against antisemitism. Attendees included Jordan Bardella, President of the French Rassemblement National (RN). Likud, the party of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had earlier been accorded observer status with the PfE grouping in the EU. Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, has instructed Israel’s diplomats in France and elsewhere to normalise relations with various extreme right-wing parties. Yet the majority of these parties grew out of traditionally antisemitic circles. In many cases they are directly linked to Nazi collaborators. Israel’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli, says that he “hopes” the AfD will break with certain controversial politicians, clearing the path for direct cooperation with his government. The German government works very closely with Netanyahu, who supports Chikli.
An international conference on the fight against antisemitism took place in Jerusalem on 26 and 27 March. The participants included various prominent representatives of the extreme right in Europe. The event was organised by the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs, headed by Amichai Chikli (Likud), and was addressed by Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) and Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar (New Hope). Other prominent speakers were the former Prime Minister of Slovenia, Janez Janša, considered a close supporter of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and Jordan Bardella, far-right star and president of the French Rassemblement National (RN). The speakers list also included Marion Maréchal from the extreme right-wing Identité-Libertés party in France, Charlie Weimers from the Sweden Democrats (a vice-president of the Group of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) in the European Parliament), and three MEPs, who are all leading lights in the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group in the European Parliament, namely Kinga Gál from the Orbán party Fidesz; Sebastiaan Stöteler from the PVV (headed by Geert Wilders); and Hermann Tertsch from the Spanish party Vox. The PfE brings together parties of the extreme right that the so-called centrist parties still categorise as forces to be contained by a “firewall” or “cordon sanitaire” in the European Union.
For European politicians and parties of the extreme right, the invitation from the Israeli government to a conference is a major win in several respects. For one thing, it allows them to divert attention from their origins in earlier antisemitic circles. In many cases they stand in the tradition of Nazi collaborators. In effect, the Israeli government is whitewashing their reputation, issuing them with a clean bill of political health. (more...)
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