Israel’s dangerous embrace of Europe's far right

For decades, the Jewish state stood firm against the forces that once brought Europe to ruin. Today, in an unthinkable reversal, Israel is not merely tolerating the resurgence of the far right—it is legitimizing it, writes Raoul Wootliff.

There is a reason the far right was politically quarantined in Europe after World War II. There is a reason mainstream European parties, across the ideological spectrum, built a “firewall” to contain its influence. And there is a reason that Israel, formed in the shadow of the Nazi Holocaust, supported the safeguards aimed at keeping the far right from ever returning to a position of power. Tragically, these efforts, enshrined in the DNA of both post-war Europe and early Israel, are under attack.

‘Europe’s most important innovation’

In recent weeks, the normalization of the far right has taken on new and alarming momentum. Elon Musk publicly endorsed Germany’s far-right AfD, a party that has defended Nazi collaborators and sought to diminish Holocaust remembrance. At the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Vice President JD Vance downplayed concerns about far right extremism in Europe, before holding a private meeting with AfD leader Alice Weidel. This was a moment of profound significance: a senior U.S. official openly legitimizing the most radical far-right movement in Germany since 1945. Germany has not wavered.

Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz and CDU leader Friedrich Merz reaffirmed their commitment to keeping the AfD politically isolated. They understand history has already taught us that engaging the far right only emboldens it. For decades, Israel understood this too. It refused to engage with European extremists, recognizing that their antisemitic roots were not a historical footnote but an enduring threat.

When Joerg Haider’s far right Freedom Party entered Austria’s government in 2000, Israel downgraded diplomatic ties, setting an example for Europe. When Jean-Marie Le Pen’s National Front surged in France, Israeli officials treated it as a pariah. This was not just an ethical position. It was a strategic one. As historian Tony Judt wrote in Postwar, the democratic firewall, in which parties from across the political spectrum have tacitly agreed to keep the far right out of power, was “Europe’s most important innovation,” because it prevented it from sliding back into the nationalism that led to its destruction. Yet today, that firewall is being torn down—and Israel is among those striking the first blows.

Israel’s changing policy

The shift began subtly under Netanyahu as Israeli leaders sought to court allies against what they saw as a hostile European left. But what began as quiet engagement has become outright endorsement. Facing diplomatic isolation and shifting global alliances, Israeli leaders have convinced themselves that any friend of Israel—no matter their history—is worth having. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar this week said Israel would, for the first time, be establishing ties with the nationalist and far right National Rally from France, the Sweden Democrats, and Spain’s Vox, acknowledging their “bad roots” but arguing that their pro-Israel positions justify engagement.

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli has gone even further, openly engaging with and endorsing the most insidious of Europe’s far-right movements by claiming that only they understand the true dangers of Muslim immigration as a driver of anti-Western sentiment and antisemitism. This strategy—embracing the far right under the guise of countering antisemitism from the left and from Muslim communities—is a catastrophic miscalculation. It is not only alienating allies in the global fight against antisemitism, but giving legitimacy to movements that, beneath their surface-level pro-Israel rhetoric, remain deeply hostile to Jews.

The notion that the European far right has “changed” because it now claims to support Israel is a dangerous delusion. The AfD continues to glorify Nazi collaborators and undermine Holocaust remembrance. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, founded by her Holocaust-denying father Jean-Marie Le Pen, remains deeply xenophobic and racist.

These parties have not evolved into defenders of Jewish communities. They have just rebranded. As Karl Popper warned, authoritarian movements do not abandon their ideology. They merely adapt it to the political moment. Today, the European far right presents itself as “pro-Israel” because it aligns with its Islamophobic and anti-immigration agenda. But the moment that agenda no longer serves their interests, these parties will turn on Jews just as they always have. Antisemitism from the far left is indeed a real and growing problem. The rise of anti-Zionist rhetoric that veers into outright antisemitism, the tolerance for conspiracy theories about Jewish power, and the demonization of Israel as an evil—which we have seen balloon since the 2023 October 7 attacks on Israel—must be confronted head-on.

But using left-wing antisemitism as an excuse to embrace the far right is a betrayal of history and a betrayal of Jewish safety itself. Far-left antisemitism is often rhetorical and political, and it must be fought with determined moral clarity. But far-right antisemitism, like radical Islamist antisemitism, is violent and eliminationist. Radical Islamist movements, driven by deeply ingrained antisemitic doctrines, have openly called for the destruction of Israel and supported attacks against both Jews and the Jewish state, including those perpetrated by Hamas. But we must never forget that far right and fascist ideology led to pogroms, Kristallnacht, and Auschwitz. It has time and time again sought not just to undermine Jewish rights but to annihilate Jews entirely. Both must be confronted and opposed with complete resolve.

The price of normalization

By legitimizing the European far right, Israel is at the same time weakening the very democratic forces that have spent decades protecting Jewish communities. It is normalizing those who—under different circumstances—would gladly relegate Jews to the margins of society once again. If Israel continues down this path, it will find itself increasingly isolated from the democratic forces that have stood with it for decades. In the US, where JD Vance and Trump are signalling openness to far right European movements, Israeli validation could accelerate a transatlantic far right alliance—one that could eventually turn against Israel itself.

Worse, Israel will have played a direct role in legitimizing the resurgence of a political ideology that has always, inevitably, turned against Jews. The firewall against the far right exists to ensure that fascism, nationalism, and the politics of hate never again gain a foothold in democratic societies. And the lesson of history is clear: the far right cannot be engaged, moderated, or negotiated with. It must be opposed, isolated, and rejected. If Israel helps break the firewall, it may one day find itself trapped on the other side.

Raoul Wootliff is head of strategic communications at Number 10 Strategies, an international strategic, research and communications consultancy. A former journalist, he was previously the Times of Israel’s political correspondent and host of its Daily Briefing podcast.

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