A Dubious Alliance: Netanyahu’s Israel and Europe’s Far-Right

The document analyzes the strategic and ideological alignment between Benjamin Netanyahu's government and European far-right actors, such as Hungary's Viktor Orbán and the Netherlands' Geert Wilders. It argues that Israel uses these 'illiberal' allies to bypass EU consensus and legitimize its policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, while the European parties use the relationship to deflect accusations of antisemitism. This alliance is characterized as a 'quid-pro-quo' based on shared hostility toward Islam, multiculturalism, and international law, ultimately aiming to establish 'illiberal polypore states' that exploit democratic institutions for populist ends.

• Benjamin Netanyahu has strategically cultivated ties with European far-right parties and the Visegrád Group (V4) to undermine EU consensus on Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, using these relationships as leverage to influence EU foreign policy.
• The alliance operates on a pragmatic exchange where European far-right parties use their connection to Israel to counter claims of antisemitism and xenophobia, while Israel gains support for its colonial activities and interests in international forums.
• A core ideological pillar of this alliance is a shared nativist and anti-Islam perspective, viewing 'Global Islam' as a primary threat to both Europe and Israel.
• The relationship with Geert Wilders and the PVV is distinct because Israel does not view the party as having fascist roots or being antisemitic, with Wilders framing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an ideological rather than territorial struggle.
• Under Netanyahu, Israel officially abolished previous Ministry of Foreign Affairs guidelines that prohibited communication with antisemitic or neo-Nazi parties, specifically ending the boycott of radical-right parties in Europe.
• The document posits that these actors are attempting to create 'illiberal polypore states,' which parasitically use the resources and institutions of liberal democracies to support an illiberal base.

APA

Touval, S. P. Y. (2024). A Dubious Alliance: Netanyahu’s Israel and Europe’s Far-Right. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/a-dubious-alliance-netanyahus-israel-and-europes-far-right/

Chicago

Touval, Sharon Pardo, Yonatan. A Dubious Alliance: Netanyahu’s Israel and Europe’s Far-Right. Green European Journal, 2024. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/a-dubious-alliance-netanyahus-israel-and-europes-far-right/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Touval |first1=Sharon Pardo, Yonatan |title=A Dubious Alliance: Netanyahu’s Israel and Europe’s Far-Right |publisher=Green European Journal |date=16 December 2024 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/a-dubious-alliance-netanyahus-israel-and-europes-far-right/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{touval2024dubious, author = {Touval, Sharon Pardo, Yonatan}, title = {{A Dubious Alliance: Netanyahu’s Israel and Europe’s Far-Right}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/a-dubious-alliance-netanyahus-israel-and-europes-far-right/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }