Far-right Le Pen would be ‘excellent’ as French president, says Likud minister
Amichai Chikli claims Netanyahu shares his opinion that anti-immigration politician, who wants to limit public expressions of religion, is good for Israel
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli (Likud) indicated Tuesday that the Israeli leadership would be happy to see Marine Le Pen of France’s far-right National Rally party eventually become president of the country.
National Rally made strong gains in a first round of legislative elections Sunday in which it was projected to have won 34.5 percent of the vote. A second round of voting for seats in France’s influential National Assembly lower house is scheduled for July 7.
Speaking to the Kan public broadcaster, Chikli noted Le Pen’s support for Israel and her recent participation in a march against antisemitism, which President Emmanuel Macron did not attend. The anti-immigration Le Pen has been making efforts to reverse her party’s deep history of antisemitism.
“It is excellent for Israel that she will be the president of France, with 10 exclamation marks,” he said.
Asked whether his party leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, agrees, Chikli said: “I think I and Netanyahu are of the same opinion.”
It was not clear why Chikli was discussing a Le Pen presidency. Incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron has a mandate until 2027 and said he would not step down before the end of his term. Le Pen is also not the leader of the National Rally party, that position being held by Jordan Bardella, who would become prime minister if NR is able to form a majority in the lower house after the second round.
However, Le Pen has made three runs for the presidency in 2012, 2017, and 2022. She stepped down as NR leader in November 2022 and Bardella took over during her run for office.
Macron called the snap election early last month, but his centrist Renaissance party was shown to be in third position right from the start. Many French Jews found themselves inclined to back NR, seeing it as a better choice than the far-left parties.
Under Le Pen, the National Rally has attempted to rehabilitate the public image it had under the antisemitic and xenophobic party founder, Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine’s father. Focusing on limiting immigration and cracking down on radical Islam, Marine Le Pen has vowed to be French Jews’ “shield” against antisemitism even as she asked them to make “sacrifices” in the fight against radical Islam. One sacrifice she asked for was to forgo the wearing of traditional head coverings such as kippot in public, which she views as collateral damage in her fight to ban Muslim religious symbols.
After the projections on Sunday showed NR as the largest party, a prominent professional facilitating immigration to Israel said the development could drive a wave of Jews to make the move.
Ariel Kandel, CEO of the Quelita association for the absorption and encouragement of Jewish immigration, or aliyah, from France, told The Times of Israel that NR’s plans to limit public expressions of religious worship, including by Jews, as part of the party’s anti-Muslim agenda could provide the impetus. It also wants to end pension payments to citizens living abroad — an impetus for younger people who might be motivated to emigrate before they accrue.
“This is a major consideration for about 50,000 French Jews who are currently contemplating leaving,” Kandel said.
Some critics of National Rally believe it panders to antisemites, though others dispute this.
If the far-left under Jean-Luc Melenchon reaches power, “then we’re talking about an even bigger push factor,” noted Kandel, citing the position of many French Jews that Melenchon is an antisemite.
The second round of the parliamentary elections, a runoff between the two top candidates of the first round, is Sunday. Second-round voters in many constituencies will need to choose between a far-left candidate and a far-right one.
Canaan Lidor contributed to this report.