Israel is deepening contact with Europe’s far-right while Amichai Chikli defended Jordan Bardella on X after Mediapart reported alleged antisemitic writings attributed to the Agrupación Nacional leader. Chikli called Bardella “es una de las voces más claras en Europa contra Hamás” and said Bardella had visited sites linked to the 7 de octubre de 2023 attack.
Israel and Agrupación Nacional
The outreach is part of a broader shift by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as Israel faces growing isolation internationally. Officials have worked to normalize relations with Agrupación Nacional in France and with the FPÖ in Austria, a party founded by former Nazis, while also courting far-right leaders in Suecia, España and the United Kingdom.
Israel’s diplomatic posture has also shifted in América Latina after the election of pro-Israel hard-right leaders in Argentina and Colombia. The German far right and AfD are not part of this strategic shift for now, which makes the pattern selective rather than universal.
Jeremy Issacharoff’s warning
Jeremy Issacharoff, who was Israel’s ambassador to Berlin from 2017 to 2022, said European far-right parties seek “una especie de certificado kosher” to distance themselves from their antisemitic past. “Entiendo perfectamente el beneficio que pueden sacar de ello. Pero para Israel, no veo más que un ataque a sus valores y a su reputación a nivel internacional,” he said in an AFP interview.
Issacharoff said Israel should first assess the impact of this support on Jewish communities in the countries concerned, especially in France and Austria. His warning points to the cost of Israel defending anti-Hamás rhetoric from figures tied to movements with antisemitic legacies.
British far-right ties
The same logic has reached the United Kingdom. Some Jewish leaders there were alarmed by Tommy Robinson’s visit to Israel, while his anti-Islam positions have been praised in Israel. Gideon Saar also urged a leader of Reform UK to express opposition to sanctions on goods imported from Israeli settlements in West Bank.
Some ministers have disparaged Ed Miliband, who is the son of Jewish refugees and supports sanctions. The mix of public criticism, private outreach and selective praise leaves Jewish communities in France, Austria and the United Kingdom watching how far Israel is willing to carry this alignment.
The next test is political, not rhetorical: whether Israel keeps widening these ties or recalibrates after the backlash from Jewish leaders and former diplomats. How much cost Netanyahu’s government is willing to absorb for this strategy is the question now shaping the relationship between Israel and Europe’s far right.
