Israel moves towards dialogue with Austrian party founded by former Nazis

Israel is moving towards opening a dialogue with Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPO), founded by former Nazis, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday, according to Haaretz.

Saar said Israel wanted a “substantive, open and frank dialogue” with the party, which has increasingly adopted a pro-Israel stance in recent years.

On Wednesday, party leader Herbert Kickl condemned the 7 October attack and apologised “directly to Jews for Austria’s role in the Holocaust”, while seeking to establish a new relationship with Jewish communities.

Kickl made the remarks in a speech at a conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg attended by representatives of Israel’s Likud party and other European right-wing parties.

The gathering focused on antisemitism and Islamism and reflected the Freedom Party’s growing efforts to build ties with Israel despite the party’s controversial history, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

“Given the complex history, Israel sees these statements as an important and positive development, but building trust also requires turning commitments into actions,” Saar said. He added that Kickl’s remarks “make it possible to open a substantive, open and honest dialogue aimed at deepening our understanding of his positions and commitments”.

Haaretz described the move as a historic first, as Israel moves towards recognising a party founded by former Nazis.