Israeli gov't ties to European far-right is unsettling - opinion

In January 2000, when Austria’s far-right Freedom Party, then led by Jörg Haider, was on the verge of joining a coalition of parties to form a new government in Vienna, Israel’s response was unequivocal. 

“A government with Haider’s participation will incur a diplomatic boycott from the family of civilized nations,” said Shimon Peres, then regional development minister.

At that time, a young Likud Knesset member, Dani Naveh, spearheaded a petition, which was signed by 14 party leaders, calling for the recall of Israel’s ambassador if the Freedom Party joined the coalition. Ultimately, it was foreign minister David Levy who declared, “On this matter, all of Israel stands united... If this party joins the Austrian coalition, there is and will be no place for an Israeli ambassador in Austria. This is not a game of words, not bluffing, not a threat. This is the stance of the Israeli government.”

Indeed, following the Freedom Party’s entry into the coalition in Vienna, Israel recalled its ambassador from the Austrian capital.

These were the standards 24 years ago. Today, extremist right-wing parties in Europe, born out of European fascism and from the heart of antisemitism, have transformed into the Israeli government’s European “natural partners.”

The person leading the process of warming up relations with Europe’s extreme Right is Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli. In a loud display of lack of personal and political consciousness, Chikli shared in his X account content such as photos of the grand mufti of Jerusalem Hajj Amin al-Husseini with Adolf Hitler, alongside his own photos with a bunch of European far-right leaders, most of whom have their political roots planted in European fascism and Nazism.

Who are minister Chikli's friends?

Jimmie Åkesson from Sweden, Marine Le Pen from France, Santiago Abascal from Spain, and of course, Viktor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary and the head of the extreme right-wing tribe in Europe, are all “friends” of Minister Chikli. Today, they proudly express racist views towards Muslims, often merely a temporary substitute for their antisemitism, which was there before that and will make a comeback. Others include Nigel Farage of Britain, who doesn’t make antisemitism his signature, but has leaned toward it in the past, when he suggested that the “Jewish lobby” pulled the strings of US politics.

These are the new allies of Minister Chikli, Israel’s government’s newly found friends estranged from the liberal world. Instead of working towards restoring the country’s international standing, Israel has chosen the easier and perilous path: befriending European racists who currently choose to emphasize their racism towards the Muslim population within their own countries and temporarily conceal their antisemitism, an integral part of their general racism. In the process, they are exploiting useful idiots, such as Chikli, who feel comfortable in the company of Arab haters.

All this mirrors the old alliance between the Israeli Right and American Evangelicals, who aim to bring about the Doomsday, a time when we will all either convert to Christianity or perish. Similarly, the alliance with the extreme Right stands on shaky ground, in this case, shared hatred towards Arabs and the aim to undermine legal mechanisms meant to protect minorities in democratic countries. 

This also forms the basis of support for Israel by Trump supporters, who chant “Make America Great Again” and, along the lines with their antisemitic “Great Replacement” theory, blame the Jews for assisting migration into the US, in order to dilute the “purity” of white Christian supremacy.

Relying on those whose political power stems from hatred and bigotry, many of whom are supporters and partners of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is actually seeking support from a “staff of a broken reed” (Isaiah 36:6), an act that will ultimately distance Israel from the family of democratic nations. 

Israel must not be part of a covenant of hate, but rather a covenant of progress and democracy. We must not fear constructive criticism of our conduct, but rather listen to it, argue when necessary, and most importantly, restore the country’s status among democracy advocates worldwide – from the Left, Center, and Right – rather than seeking comfort in the arms of democracy enemies.

For Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 2024 government, there is much to learn from the late foreign minister David Levy and his opposition to ties with the extreme Right. Not only is this the morally correct stance, but also because those who take a ride with a scorpion will eventually be stung by it.

The writer is J Street-Israel’s executive director. He served as an Israeli diplomat in Washington and Boston and as a political adviser to the president of Israel.