Israel’s close alliance and increasing cooperation with far-right movements across the globe have been widely noted, with the two sides apparently united by a common enemy: namely, Muslims who supposedly seek to impose their "backward ways" on the civilized world. Historically the chief purveyors of anti-Semitism, these same far-right forces are now propped up by those who never miss an opportunity to complain about its resurgence. The liberal critique of this strategy is naive at best, if not outright deceitful. It argues that the strategy will ultimately be harmful to Israel, because once these far-right forces take over and finally "defeat Muslims,” Jews themselves will become the next target.
Yet the evidence suggests that, actually, the strategy might work just fine, and that Israel could reap the rewards of its support for the far-right against what remains of the left. After the ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was kidnapped by the U.S. and replaced by his deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, the latter decided – or, more accurately, was instructed – to restore Venezuela’s diplomatic ties with Israel. Similarly, when former Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who had been extremely critical of Israel’s actions, was very narrowly defeated in the last election, which he claimed had been rigged against him, his right-wing successor, Abelardo de la Espriella, immediately recognized Israel’s claim of sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Israel seems to be rapidly gaining ground in Latin America precisely as governments hostile to it are being removed or replaced one by one, while American involvement in this endeavor is justified in the name of the notorious “Monroe Doctrine.” It is no coincidence that, just this week, the U.S. Department of State published a video message explaining the origins of that imperial policy and why it needs to be firmly embraced today, without, of course, ever mentioning Israel, even as it has clearly been one of its main beneficiaries thus far.
The unholy alliance between Israel and the far-right is perhaps most consequential in the context of European politics, however. In Britain, the first and foremost requirement of building a viable far-right movement appears to be absolute devotion to Israel, and such a movement has to center its policies around hostility toward Israel’s adversaries. The virulent anti-Muslim rhetoric spewed by the likes of Reform U.K. and Restore Britain is a testament to this.
In France, it is Marine Le Pen, whose National Rally threw its full support behind Israel as it was carrying out a genocide in Gaza and livestreaming it to the rest of the world. Utterly blinded by their contempt for Muslims in general, Le Pen’s supporters have been easy prey for the argument that, just as Muslims over here, Muslims over there in Gaza deserve no less than to be brutally killed simply for the crime of being who they are.
The only notable outlier in Europe in this regard is probably the Alternative for Germany (AfD), and it is not really difficult to imagine why it has been the least likely far-right movement in Europe for Israel to partner with. As a result, it is also the least likely far-right movement in Europe to enter government, even as it consistently polls among the strongest. The so-called “red wall” against the AfD in German politics is built for a reason.
Of course, this unholy alliance between Israel and far-right movements around the world benefits not only Israel, but also those movements themselves. Argentina’s Javier Milei has been bailed out of multiple financial crises, presumably due to his profound "faith" in that alliance, for instance. It appears that political, financial and even military support come as perks of this arrangement. And those who resist the temptation risk facing dire consequences, as is suspected to have happened in Spain’s Ceuta crisis. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s refusal to bow down made him a target of the architects of this unholy alliance, of which Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli openly boasted.
In a recent interview, Chikli spoke of “creating an unprecedented system of alliances with the conservative right” in Europe, specifically citing the example of Vox in Spain, whose leader, Santiago Abascal, has been the “most Zionist” voice in Spain. Chikli affirmed that the far-right’s “pro-Israel” position is connected to its anti-immigration stance, particularly against Muslim immigrants. And he praised far-right leaders in European politics such as Le Pen for opposing the arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.
Under these circumstances, Israel’s regional rivals might want to consider aligning more closely with the left in Europe, if not out of ideological affinity, then certainly as a matter of geopolitical strategy. The caricature of “Islamo-Marxism” might actually turn out to be a realistic option to counter what the late Israeli philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz called “Judeo-Nazism.” After all, we have seen time and again how shallow and meaningless all these terms actually are.
