Guests in Israel
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.
TEL AVIV/BERLIN (own report) – 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.
Beyond the ‘firewall’
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.
Whitewashing
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.[1] In effect, the Israeli government is whitewashing their reputation, issuing them with a clean bill of political health. This is why, in recent years, politicians from the extreme right have made repeated efforts to be invited to Israel. For instance, the leader of Spain’s extreme-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, succeeded in visiting Israel for talks with Chikli and Netanyahu at the end of May last year.[2] Secondly, despite the persistence of antisemitism in these circles, the extreme right in Europe sees Israel as a strategically important ally in their fight against Islam, which for them is primarily a fight against migrants. And, thirdly, as this conference shows, dialogue with Israel offers representatives of the far right an opportunity to forge wider international links. A key figure in this respect is Matt Schlapp. As Chairman of the American Conservative Union (ACU), which organises the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), he was also present at Chikli’s conference (german-foreign-policy.com reported [3]).
Observer status at the PfE
For the Israeli right, the conference offered an opportunity to build and expand its relationships with like-minded political forces in Europe. Accordingly, the event was not just about antisemitism, whether actual or perceived, and the fight against it. As the conservative British Telegraph reported, the conference talk identified wider enemies: climate activist Greta Thunberg was called “an idiot”, while Black Lives Matter were “hardly any better”. Trump supporter Karys Rhea warned against “woke” movements as if these were a central problem for Jews worldwide, notes the Telegraph.[4] The point is, however, that far-right positions are shared by both sides. Likud and now the Israeli government, too, want to establish new structures of international cooperation on this basis. An example of this networking was seen on 9 February when, following the general assembly of the PfE bloc parties in Madrid, Likud announced that it now enjoyed observer status with the group. It is the first and so far only non-European party to have this position.[5] At the end of February, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar reportedly “instructed Israeli diplomats in France, Sweden and Spain” to break with previous practice and “establish direct contacts with the far-right parties,” namely RN, Sweden Democrats and Vox.[6]
Hope for cooperation
This linkage is happening at a time when the Trumpian right in the United States is also forging and intensifying ties with the far right in Europe. In the immediate run-up to the PfE summit in February, the President of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, was already in Madrid for talks with PfE politicians (german-foreign-policy.com reported [7]). Moreover, first Elon Musk and then US Vice President JD Vance came out in support of the AfD’s campaign in the German federal election.[8] The AfD is moving ever closer to both US Republican circles and the Israeli right. In a post on X the day after the Bundestag election, Chikli declared the party taking the clearest stance against “anti-Israeli” groups is “surprisingly” the AfD.[9] The party introduced a bill in the Bundestag back in April 2019 to ban the non-violent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign and another in June 2019 to ban all Hezbollah-related activities in Germany. Chikli notes the presence of “voices” within the far-right party still to be concerned about, like former MEP and current AfD Member of the German Bundestag Maximilian Krah, who has downplayed the historical legacy of the Waffen SS. But Chikli sees no problem in working together with other leaders, not least AfD national spokesperson Alice Weidel. He adds that he “hopes” the AfD can distance itself from people like Krah.
‘Well-poisoners’
The example of Hungary shows that such attempts to distinguish between elements within the European far right are unconvincing. Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, is president of Fidesz, which is a leading party within the PfE. He is considered a close partner of his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Under Orbán’s leadership Hungary has not only seen the rehabilitation of Hungarian Nazi collaborator Miklós Horthy [10] but also the inclusion of works by writers József Nyirő and Albert Wass in the official school curriculum. Nyirő, an admirer of Goebbels, demanded in a speech in 1942, “Off with the well-poisoners, with those who destroy the Hungarian soul, who infect our spirit, who prevent the development of Hungarian strength.”[11] He was, of course, referring to Jews. This also applies to a fable penned by the fascist Count Wass, who worked for the pro-Nazi collaborationist authorities after Hungary’s annexation of his Transylvanian homeland in 1940. The antisemitic tract is entitled “The land grab of the rats”.
Unconditional cooperation
The close cooperation between the Israeli government under Netanyahu and the far right in Europe is also putting more pressure on Berlin to open up to the far right. The antisemitism commissioner of the outgoing German government, Felix Klein, did have to cancel his participation in the Jerusalem conference, citing the presence of right-wing extremists.[12] However, Friedrich Merz, presumed to be the next Federal Chancellor, has declared his almost unconditional willingness to work with Netanyahu. He has stated that he will invite Netanyahu to Berlin and defy the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli Prime Minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity.[13] Responding to questions about Netanyahu’s Likud party being granted official observer status at the far-right PfE, Merz insists it would not stand in the way of Germany’s deep cooperation with Israel.
[1] See also: Die Umwertung der Werte.
[2] Yuval Barnea: ‘No prizes for terror‘: Spanish opposition leader Abascal promises. jpost.com 29.05.2024.
[3] See also: Die transatlantische extreme Rechte (II).
[4] Henry Bodkin: Inside the Right-wing anti-Semitism summit causing turmoil in the Jewish world. telegraph.co.uk 28.03.2025.
[5] James Genn: Likud joins EU right-wing alliance Patriots.eu as observer, while AfD attempts to build ties. jpost.com 09.02.2025.
[6] Andrea Nüsse: In Israel fällt die Brandmauer. tagesspiegel.de 22.03.2025.
[7] See also: Die transatlantische extreme Rechte (II).
[8] See also: Die transatlantische extreme Rechte (III).
[9] Reaching out to Europe’s rising Right: Israel’s Diaspora Minister Chikli explains approach to German AfD party. allisrael.com 25.02.2025.
[10], [11] See also: Die Ära des Revisionismus (III).
[12] Hans Pfeifer: Israel’s antisemitism conference kicks off amid criticism. dw.com 26.03.2025.
[13] Merz lädt Netanjahu trotz Haftbefehls nach Deutschland ein. handelsblatt.com 25.02.2025.
