https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-03-17/ty-article-magazine/.premium/israels-lost-taboo-how-netanyahu's-party-is-embracing-europes-far-right-extremists/00000195-9e70-d865-ad95-9f7df0170000Israel's Lost Taboo: How Netanyahu's Party Is Officially Embracing Europe's Far-right Extremists - Mar 17, 2025
In early February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party became an observer member of Patriots for Europe – a European alliance of far-right nationalist and populist parties.
The move comes amid a broader shift by the Israeli government toward establishing ties with far-right European parties that have long been boycotted by Israel due to their history of antisemitism and neo-Nazi affiliations.
It raises questions about Israel's evolving stance toward groups like Austria's Freedom Party, a member of the Patriots bloc, founded by a former SS general, and Germany's Alternative for Germany party, the AfD, which emerged as the country's second-largest party in last month's federal elections, surpassing the incumbent Social Democrats.
The AfD is deeply rooted in neo-Nazi culture, and Germany's Jewish community describes it having a "blatantly antisemitic ideology." The Freedom Party, in whose ranks antisemitic and neo-Nazi incidents occur with great regularity, has been described as "antisemitic to its core."
Make Europe Great Again
The Patriots for Europe alliance includes parties such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz, Marine Le Pen's National Rally in France, Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom in the Netherlands and Spain's Vox, among others.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv earlier this month.Credit: Hadas Parush
At their inaugural conference in Madrid last month, alliance leaders "warmly" welcomed Likud as an observer, citing "shared values."
Its observer status means Likud does not have voting rights, but can collaborate with the alliance on shared priorities, including "the fight against political Islam and the terrorism it fuels," and efforts to curb "the illegal mass migration to Europe," according to Vienna-born Harald Vilimsky, head of the Freedom Party's delegation in the European Parliament and a key Patriots figure.
Likud's entry into the Patriots effectively ends its membership in the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, the European Union's previous leading right-wing alliance. That group includes Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, Poland's Law and Justice party, the Sweden Democrats and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians. The smaller Europe of Sovereign Nations group, which includes the AfD, completes the European populist bloc.
Likud originally joined the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in 2016 – when it was the EU's leading right-wing alliance – under the leadership of Eli Vered Hazan, then Likud's foreign affairs director and now Israel's ambassador to Singapore.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaking with the media in Brussels earlier this month.Credit: Omar Havana/AP
Orbán's party left the European Conservatives last year after the Alliance for the Union of Romanians joined, citing the party's "extreme anti-Hungarian stance." That move led to the formation of the Patriots last June.
Likud was represented in Madrid by Ariel Bulshtein, an adviser to Netanyahu and current head of Likud's foreign affairs department. A journalist and lawyer, he frequently publishes articles in Israel Hayom, including a recent interview with Wilders. His author page does not disclose his senior political role in Likud. Bulshtein declined to be interviewed for this article.
Despite Likud's move to the Patriots, Bulshtein still maintains ties with other far-right Europeans. Just 10 days before the Madrid conference, he attended a European Conservatives conference in Brussels, called "Make Europe Great Again."
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli was scheduled to appear as a keynote speaker, but withdrew due to "security concerns."
At the Brussels conference, Bulshtein lambasted the "foolish" EU, accusing it of using taxpayer money to support "barbaric ideologies that would like to see all of us hanged," referring to Palestinian groups. He warned that a Palestinian child could "become a shahid [martyr] maybe in Brussels – because your gates are open," and added that "jihadism" has penetrated America's Columbia University and Harvard with EU funding.
"The West is not 'next' – it is now. Only by standing together with conservative forces in Israel, we can prevail," he told his far-right audience.
Maya Sion-Tzidkiyahu, a leading Israeli scholar on European politics at Hebrew University, sees Likud's move as "definitive proof that it is no longer a liberal party but an integral part of the extreme, illiberal populist right." She described the Patriots as "a front for Euroskeptics, anti-European, pro-Russian, anti-liberal-democratic forces that oppose the rule of law."
Likud's alignment with the Patriots reflects a broader thaw in Israel's ties with European parties once deemed political pariahs.
In early February, a few days before the Patriots conference in Madrid, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (Likud) and Yossi Dagan, a prominent settler leader and senior Likud activist, hosted European parliamentarians from the Patriots – all members of Spain's far-right Vox party.
Addressing his Spanish guests, Ohana declared, "Now is the time to restore Europe's greatness and fight alongside it." The delegation also met with Likud ministers Chikli, Avi Dichter and Miri Regev.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal, who serves as president of the Patriots alliance, has been a vocal supporter of Israel since the October 7 Hamas attack, framing his solidarity within his broader campaign against "radical Islam."
Spanish far-right VOX party leader Santiago Abascal waving next to European far-right politicians during the Patriots for Europe summit in Madrid last month.Credit: Paul White/AP
At the Madrid conference, he escalated his rhetoric, condemning what he described as a "global dictatorship" imposed by the United Nations and the International Criminal Court – an issue of particular importance to both Israel and Netanyahu, the subject of an arrest warrant from the court.
This warming of ties culminated when Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who recently rejoined Likud, announced that Israel would formally establish relations with the Sweden Democrats, Le Pen's National Rally and Vox.
Likud's alignment with the Patriots of Europe is definitive proof that it is no longer a liberal party but an integral part of the extreme, illiberal populist right.
Maya Sion-Tzidkiyahu
"I saw no reason not to do so. Quite the opposite," he stated after a Foreign Ministry review.
The Sweden Democrats were founded in 1988 by members of Sweden's neo-Nazi and skinhead movements, while Vox has allowed Holocaust deniers to run for office on its behalf. Le Pen has worked to rebrand the National Front – the extremist party she inherited from her Holocaust-denying father – into the more mainstream National Rally.
Blurring the red line
As Israel deepens its ties with nationalist European parties, its official stance on Austria's Freedom Party and Germany's AfD remains deliberately ambiguous. Hinting at the parties that Israel still officially boycotts, Sa'ar said Israel "does not want to give legitimacy to parties that empower neo-Nazi elements," adding that he would hold "a dialogue with Jewish community leaders on the topic."
However, he emphasized that Israel assesses each party individually. "We evaluate their attitudes toward Israel and their support for Israel. We also review their position toward antisemitism, Holocaust denial and other such matters. Some of these parties have problematic roots, but we focus on their actions today: Do they denounce or ban party members over antisemitic statements? That is a substantial indication."
Protesters demonstrating near the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna against a ball organized by the far-right Freedom Party earlier this month.Credit: Joe Klamar/AFP
The Foreign Ministry declined to respond to Haaretz's inquiries about whether it still officially boycotts Austria's Freedom Party or to comment on its stance toward the AfD, which won 20 percent of the vote in Germany's recent election. Ahead of Austrian elections last fall, Haaretz reported that the Israeli embassy in Vienna's boycott of the Freedom Party "has not changed."
A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Sa'ar did not respond when asked whether Netanyahu adviser Bulshtein's open discussions with the Freedom Party violate Israel's long-standing policy of boycotting the party. Likud has also refused to comment on its stance regarding formal ties with the Freedom Party and the AfD, or whether Netanyahu approved his party's decision to join the Patriots.
Meanwhile, Chikli, who has positioned himself as the government's unofficial far-right engagement portfolio manager, has signaled his interest in establishing relations with the AfD. He stated that the group's co-leader, Alice Weidel, is "easy to connect with," describing her worldview as representing "a healthy liberal patriotism, responsible immigration policies, and a clear-eyed view of the dangers of radical Islam."
At the same time, he noted that "time will tell whether this party will be able to purge itself of bullies who see no problem with serving in the SS," adding, "I sincerely hope so." Calling the election results "fascinating," he vowed to "follow developments in Germany's far right."
With the next German government likely to be comprised of a center-right and center-left coalition, political and diplomatic sources believe that Israel, and its embassy in Berlin, will not establish official ties with the AfD.
However, they caution that figures within Likud – particularly Chikli, who has been acting independently of official foreign policy – may meet with Weidel or other AfD parliamentarians visiting Israel. They suggest that it is too soon to determine how Germany will respond to such actions.
Orbán has previously acknowledged that the AfD was excluded from the Patriots due to a veto by Le Pen, who is seen as attempting to soften her party's image. However, ahead of the German elections, Orbán hosted Weidel in Budapest. He declared that "the AfD is the future" and should be included in Germany's next coalition, effectively calling to end the boycott of it.
"It will be interesting to see if, after the AfD's gains, Orbán will push to include them in the Patriots – and whether Le Pen will still oppose it," said analyst Sion-Tzidkiyahu. "This could be problematic for Likud, as the AfD remains outside the Israeli Foreign Ministry consensus," she added.
Alternative for Germany co-leader Alice Weidel shaking hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest last month.Credit: Szilard Koszticsak/AP
From the SS to the Knesset?
For Austria's Freedom Party, Likud's entry into the Patriots was a long-pursued stamp of legitimacy from the Jewish state and its prime minister. The party's European delegation leader Vilimsky called Likud's entry into the Patriots a "paradigm shift" that gives Austria's far right "a new boost in international significance and acceptance."
Citing Netanyahu, party leader Herbert Kickl wrote that the move showed that the "myth of international isolation" surrounding his party "is falling apart." He added: "We are aware that this cooperation does not sit well with some," punctuating his statement with a winking emoji.
Founded in 1955 by a former SS general, the Freedom Party combines neoliberal economic policies with cultural conservatism and hard-line nationalism. Under Kickl, it has advocated for the "remigration" of foreigners, opposed military aid to Ukraine and resisted sanctions on Russia. During his election campaign, Kickl positioned himself as the "Volkskanzler," or "people's chancellor" – a term used in Nazi propaganda to describe Hitler.
Israel has long treated the Freedom Party as a political pariah. When the party joined Austria's governing coalition in 2000, Israel withdrew its ambassador from Vienna and downgraded diplomatic relations.
However, between 2014 and 2016, Likud pressured Netanyahu and the Foreign Ministry to formalize relations with the party. Likud's foreign affairs director, Vered Hazan, even invited then-leader Heinz-Christian Strache to Israel. At the time, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman considered the move but ultimately abandoned it after strong opposition from Foreign Ministry officials and a media backlash.
While not labeling Austria's Freedom Party itself a "Nazi party," Oskar Deutsch said "there are many Nazi sympathizers among the party's leadership and officials."
In 2017, when the Freedom Party joined Sebastian Kurz's coalition, Netanyahu announced that Israel would boycott Austria's far-right ministers. Yet a few months later, Likud lawmaker Yehudah Glick met with party leaders in Vienna.
At the Patriots conference in Madrid, Vilimsky revealed he'd had a "lengthy" conversation with Likud's Bulshtein, posting a picture of them together. Vilimsky said the Likud envoy "assured full support for the Patriots," and disclosed that he'd also held previously unreported talks with Israel's transportation minister, Miri Regev, in Budapest last year.
Vilimsky noted that the alliance with Likud highlighted the differences between Austria's Jewish community and Likud, saying: "While the official body of Jewish Orthodox communities in Austria still refuses any contact with us, that is not the case with Israel's leading government circles – quite the opposite."
Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl attending a press conference in Vienna last month.Credit: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters
The Jewish community in Austria remains resolute in its rejection of the party. Last month, its president, Oskar Deutsch, said: "Perhaps we should start packing our bags," reacting to the party's mandate to form a coalition. (Kickl's efforts to form a government subsequently failed.)
While not labeling the party itself a "Nazi party," Deutsch said "there are many Nazi sympathizers among the party's leadership and officials." After the collapse of the coalition talks between the party and Austria's center-right, he called the development "a great relief."
Even far-right Israeli commentators like Eldad Beck have warned against legitimizing the Austrian party. In a recent column in the Jerusalem Post, he wrote that the party has "many unsolved Nazi problems" and noted its refusal to include a clause in its coalition guidelines committing to uphold Austria's pro-Israel policy as a foundational principle (Staatsräson).
"Giving the Freedom Party international legitimacy for free is not only unwise – it is highly counterproductive and does not serve Israel's interests," Beck wrote.
Far-right conference
To seal the partnership between Israel and the far-right European parties it once boycotted, Chikli will host the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem at the end of the month.
The only political figures from Europe to speak at the conference will be from the far right, mostly members of the Patriots for Europe.
A keynote speaker will be France's National Rally President Jordan Bardella. Le Pen's niece, European Parliament MP Marion Maréchal, who openly believes in the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, will also be present. This will mark the first time member of France's far-right parties have been invited to Israel by its government.
Credit: Screenshot
Other speakers will include Vox politician Hermann Tertsch, who is vice president of the Patriots for Europe, and Swedish Democrats' Charlie Weimers, vice chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group. Representatives from Orbán and Wilders' parties will also participate.
The presence of members of far-right European parties has led Germany's antisemitism czar, Felix Klein, to cancel his previously announced participation. Original keynote speaker Bernard-Henri Lévy has also withdrawn after learning that Bardella would be attending.
The conference, which will also be addressed by Israeli President Isaac Herzog alongside Netanyahu, will feature topics such as "Anti-Israel Bias in International Institutions," "Antisemitism in the Palestinian Authority and the Muslim Brotherhood," "Double Standards, from the Battlefield to the ICC," "Radical Islamist Antisemitism," "Denial, from the Holocaust to October 7," and "When Progressivism Turns Hostile: Antisemitism in Academic Discourse."
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and National Rally President Jordan Bardella in Paris earlier this year.Credit: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
There is no explicit mention of right-wing antisemitism or neo-Nazi violence against Jews on the conference's agenda.
Invited guests will also be offered a tour of "Judea and Samaria" for a "remarkable journey through the captivating communities" in the West Bank, with participants able to "delve into ancient biblical sites and gain a comprehensive understanding of the region's strategic importance."