This academic paper, published by Al-Zaytouna Centre, in Arabic, and authored by Mahmud ‘Abdo Salem, is titled “Israel and the Populist (Far-Right) Parties in Europe.” It adopts the functional state approach, based on the concept of the “functional state” developed by ‘Abdul Wahab El-Messiri in his research project on Zionism and the state it established in Palestine. He contends that Israel was established under the sponsorship of Western colonial powers to serve as a base for Western imperialism in Palestine. Its role is functional in nature—primarily centered on settlement and warfare—and it serves Western interests, particularly in suppressing Arab revival movements. Therefore, the Israel does not operate under the political norms that govern natural states, but rather according to the logic of functional communities. Its security policies, spending patterns, methods of financing, class structure, and administrative practices can only be properly understood within the context of its functional role—a logic that also shapes its foreign policy and its relations with other states and international actors.
In light of this functionalist framework, Israel’s stance toward Europe’s rising right-wing populist parties becomes clearer. These parties have gained ground across the European political landscape over the past decade, achieving unprecedented victories in both national and local elections, as well as in European Union (EU) contests. They also enjoy backing from the United States (US), Europe’s traditional ally. In turn, these parties’ favorable posture toward Israel can be understood through this same lens—as a functional state serving European interests, particularly in confronting the “Islamic threat” they so often denounce.
The study also examines the factors behind the alliance between the Zionist right and the European populist right—some related to the ideological foundations of Zionism and the radical right, others to the convergence of interests between the two, and still others to current political conditions that have fostered a favorable climate for rapprochement.
The study concludes that, despite the historical stance of Europe’s far-right, characterized by anti-Semitism and skepticism toward Israeli narratives of the Nazi Holocaust, the eventual alignment between the European far-right and the Israeli far-right was inevitable. This was due to their shared intellectual foundations in nationalistic and religious extremism, as well as their common goals. The establishment of Israel fulfilled, in part, the classic objective of the European far-right: to rid Europe of Jews and establish a homeland for them elsewhere. In recent decades, Israel has successfully aligned with the new European far-right on a common enemy: “Islam,” represented by “Islamic migration,” “Islamic activism,” and the Islamic resistance against Israeli occupation and its Western allies. The rise of populism in the US, which has fueled the populist right in Europe, has created the ideal environment for this alliance.
The study predicts that this alliance would endure, given their deep ideological convergence, shared interests, the global rise of populism, and the backing of their US ally.
Click here to download: >>Academic Paper: Israel and the Populist (Far-Right) Parties in Europe (Arabic)  (35 pages, 9.3 MB)By: Mahmud ‘Abdo Salem.* (Exclusively for al-Zaytouna Centre). |
[*] An Egyptian researcher and writer, known for numerous published works on political and intellectual issues, especially on the Arab–Zionist conflict.
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