Israel Lifts Ban on 3 Far Right European Parties

Israel has removed its diplomatic bans on far-right European parties in Europe, after a thorough review on their stances towards Jews, Holocaust denial and Israel.

France’s National Rally, Sweden’s Sweden Democrats, and Spain’s VOX were unbanned, despite their troubling roots, Ynet reported. The parties have seen greater popularity in recent election cycles, as Europeans are increasingly wary of an influx of mostly Muslim immigrants seeking refuge in prosperous Western countries. Israel determined that the parties have sufficiently changed their stances on Jewish issues.

However, bans remain in place on Austria’s Freedom Party and Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD), both of which garnered strong support in recent elections.

“We are examining how these parties behave today,” Israeli Minister Eli Cohen said in a Thursday meeting with Jewish community leaders and pro-Israel organizations in Belgium. “We do not want to isolate ourselves from potential allies in Europe, but we also do not want to legitimize neo-Nazi movements.”