An unlikely German ally Israel’s relationship with Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has been cautious due to the party’s open antisemitism and neo-Nazi ties. Despite this, Israeli figures have occasionally advocated for closer ties with the party. In August 2019, Israel Hayom, a daily newspaper aligned with Netanyahu’s Likud party, called for official dialogue with the AfD, arguing that Israel should pursue its national interests wherever allies could be found. The newspaper claimed that “the biggest threat today to Israel and European Jewry doesn’t come from the Right but rather from the Left and its partner-voters in the Arab and Muslim immigrant communities”.
In May 2020, Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister’s son, became a poster figure for the AfD after his tweet calling for the EU’s demise. Responding to the EU Delegation in Israel, he tweeted: “Schengen zone is dead and soon your evil globalist organization will be too, and Europe will return to be free, democratic and Christian!”.
