Breaking taboo, Foreign Ministry holding talks with three European far-right parties

Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar instructed diplomats to open channels of communication with far-right political parties in Sweden, France, and Spain, Walla reports, citing senior officials in the Foreign Ministry.

A Foreign Ministry official confirms the report to The Times of Israel.

The French National Rally, Sweden Democrats, and Spanish Vox factions had been shunned by the Foreign Ministry, President’s Residence, and Prime Minister’s Office over concerns over antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and fascist roots. Rogue Israeli ministers and legislators have also met with party official recently, without approval from the government.

“We do not agree with the entire platform of these parties or with every statement made by their leaders, but we believe that it is possible to have a dialogue with them,” one of the senior diplomats tells Walla.

Staff work began under Sa’ar’s predecessor Israel Katz, according to the report. Upon his appointment as foreign minister, Sa’ar assessed the parties based on their support for Israel, attitude toward the local Jewish community, the communities’ feelings toward the parties, and whether they had confronted their antisemitic legacies.

Sa’ar decided to continue avoiding contacts with the Austrian Freedom Party and the German AfD, says Walla.

Local Jewish communities were notified by the Foreign Ministry about the contacts.