Far- right Austrian leader visits Israel

The leader of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party, Heinz-Christian Strache arrived in Israel on Monday with a delegation of his party members following an invitation from Israel’s right- wing party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We have a lot in common,” Strache said of the Likud. “I always say, if one defines the Judeo-Christian West, then Israel represents a kind of border. If Israel fails, Europe fails. And if Europe fails, Israel fails”.

Michael Kleiner, a Likud party member and a former lawmaker, confirmed to Israel’s Army Radio that Strache had been invited by his party and said he was a friend of Israel.

Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported on Tuesday that the Israeli foreign ministry had recommended to former president, Shimon Peres, not to meet with Strache saying his party is an extreme right-wing party and should not be granted legitimacy.

Strache’s party said in a statement that he is visiting Israel “to conduct discussions with the high-level delegates”.

Meanwhile, Austrian newspapers said the visit aims to make Strache acceptable in Israel and normalize relations with it.

Israel’s Channel One said that that Kleiner has been trying to convince Netanyahu and others to change their attitude towards Strache.

Strache is a disciple of former party leader, Jörg Haider, who was renowned for his anti-Semitism and pro-Nazi stances.