T. Belman. More and more EU countries are banning Muslim immigration.
As a rule the more anti-Muslim immigration you are, the more pro-Israel your are.
Dutch politician Geert Wilders of the PVV Party. Photo: Reuters/Yves Herman
Pro-Israel parties found themselves in a commanding position on Thursday morning following the prior day’s elections in the Netherlands which resulted in the country’s main far right leader winning a plurality of votes.
“The PVV can no longer be ignored,” Geert Wilders — leader of the Freedom Party (PVV) and a veteran campaigner against migration — said as his party headed to win 37 of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament in the surprise outcome. “We will govern.”
Wilders is a vocal supporter of Israel. Following the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom in southern Israel, he has backed Israel’s military response, declaring in one recent tweet that “Hamas needs to be eliminated. We have to fully support Israel and the Jewish people!” He has also advocated moving the Dutch Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and has described the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as a Palestinian state already in existence.
However, concerns about renewed conflict in the Middle East and rising antisemitism at home were far from the minds of Dutch voters on Wednesday, the Dutch Jewish news outlet Jonet observed in an editorial on Thursday.
“Jewish topics such as antisemitism, the Middle East conflict, ritual slaughter, or Jewish special education did not play a major role in the 2023 parliamentary election campaign,” the editors wrote. “This makes sense, because Jews in the Netherlands only form a group of 40,000 residents and because many non-Jews are not engaged with these subjects either. Partly because the previous cabinet fell on the failed asylum agreement, migration became the main subject of the campaign. Coincidentally, the parties who want a stricter and fairer migration policy are also more pro-Jewish and pro-Israel.”
A government led by Wilders is far from guaranteed, as the PVV needs at least 39 more parliamentary seats to form a ruling coalition. One option, as Jonet pointed out, would bring the PVV together with three other parties with pro-Israel records.
The three parties are the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB — “Farmers and Citizens Movement”), the New Social Contract (NSC), and the centrist People’s Party (VVD).
The tally of seats for the BBB — a populist party with an agrarian base — rose from one to seven. According to Jonet, the party is “pro-Jewish and pro-Israeli” and has endorsed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism which includes several examples of anti-Zionism. The center-right NSC, launched only last August, increased its share from one seat to 20; party leader Pieter Omtzigt “was known as pro-Jewish and pro-Israel with his voting behavior in the parliament,” Jonet said.
The VVD, led by Dilan Yesilgöz, decreased its share of seats by 10, ending up with 24. Yesilgöz has been a consistent supporter of Israel and may be tempted to work with Wilders. On Thursday morning, she told the Dutch broadcaster NOS that she would not rule out joining a PVV-led government. “We really need to let it sink in and see what exactly happened and what the voters said,” she said of the surprise result. “We are not there yet.”
Wilders’ success marks a historic moment for Europe’s far right, anti-migration parties. While they have triumphed electorally in recent years in many parts of eastern Europe, including Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, western Europe had proved more elusive until Wilders’ breakthrough on Wednesday.
I am reading Ted’s comment again. His thinking is often very welcomingly subtle
That’s a good thing.
Peloni that is the point you could have drawn out if you were not so invested in dogma.
PS
The old language is not working for us. I imagine not many here get this… one may be Seb…I hope!
Peloni rather a brutal remark to me.
The essence which I’m sticking to is contained in Dinastar 578 comment below this
Peloni your remark is destructive.
I hope Dinastar can develop those thoughts more.
Trotsky Lenin and Marx were no lovers of islam at all
I feel we need if serious to be more careful where we place people.
If interested do read Dinastar again.
Please try to grapple with his difficult point
Not typical of Peloni to be dismissive
Great news!
WILDERS hasn’t been able to form a govt. and is at the point of resigning from the task. He also has been exploring a minority govt rule. But sounds fed up.
@Felix
Sorry but Wilders is Right wing.
Well it has been nearly 4 months and today Wilders conceded that he can not form a govt with him as PM. He has instead stepped aside so that a strong right wing govt will be formed with him, but not under him. Quite unfortunate to hear, but let us see what comes from the new govt.
Ted
That is how Cohen put it in the first paragraph
“Pro-Israel parties found themselves in a commanding position on Thursday morning following the prior day’s elections in the Netherlands which resulted in the country’s main far right leader winning a plurality of votes.”
Why is it right wing to oppose Islam?
Ted
All the enemies dwell on the claim that he is RIGHT WING
Why add to that?
France is the canary in the coal mine ; Since 2012 more than 300 people have been murdered by islamist terror. Next Presidential election are far in 2027 but it looks like Far Right Marine Le Pen will win . This event will spell the beginning of the end for the muslim invasion and dominance over the medias narrative. Note that powerful liberal-capitalist forces ( Banks – Industrialists ..) are totally synchronized with this muslim invasion. it serves them as a tool for social rights dumping and oppression of the middle class . It is a very common error of your readers to single out the pro-islam , pro-Hamas , pro-LGBTQ , pro- ultra ecology , pro-economic globalization as ” marxism ” : These propaganda tools are not at all marxist , they do not aim at making the worker or the middle class better off , but look at the opposite result , they use the trans sectionnality of such micro fights to dilute the social protest against the dominant elite . So the Far Right parties are now heralding the native French , Dutch , Italian people and they are derided as ” populists ” by the elites . To sum it , the elites ( Davos WEF forum – Bilderberg – Soros – Democrat party fundraisers ) do not care the least for Israel ‘s survival , but hope for its demise . Overall even if some far right are back into power they will face an uphill challenge vs nations like Spain, Belgium, France ,have submitted to muslim invasion and narrative , and the EU political structure is either corrupt ( Qatar cash scandal in Brussels ) or willing to obey the muslim countries instructions ( Josep Borell , in charge of EU foreign affairs shows permanent hostility to Israel like all the previous EU politicians Ms Mogherini , Ms Ashton , Chris Patten etc..) so Far Right national politticians will offer very limited help mainly vocal to Israel . To sum it the local nations of europe have relinquished more than 50% of their legislative sphere to the EU structure .Therefore it is up to the Israeli people to understand the nature and depth of the external threats and to react quickly . Israel enduring strength lies in the unity and solidarity of its inhabitants, current extreme social divide between the affluent and the middle class is tearing the nation and must be reduced . Cooperative Housing must be offered straight form the State ( Minhal Mekarkaei Israel ) to the families of the discharged soldiers without the Kablanim cartel extorsion . That’s one field to increase solidarity and to make quickly a huge progress.
YNET NEWS
Right-wing parties flourish in the Europe
Wilders’ victory came after a number of right-wing parties that many consider extreme right-wing parties have flourished in the European Union in recent years. Only last year, the “Brotherhood of Italy” party came to power in Italy, a party with fascist roots, some of whose supporters openly express longing for the days of the dictator Mussolini, although since then its leader Giorgia Maloney has moderated her positions on various matters, and has become an accepted figure in the corridors of the Union.
Two months ago, Robert Pico’s populist right-wing party, which is also opposed to the European Union, came to power in Slovakia, and in Germany these days the “Alternative for Germany” party is recording great success in the polls, and in some of them it comes in first place. Poland was also ruled for most of the last decade by a nationalist right-wing party that had a serious conflict with the European Union, and was accused of consistently undermining Polish democracy.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is also considered an extreme right-wing man and prides himself on turning his country into an “illiberal democracy”, as he put it, was one of the first to congratulate Wilders last night, who presents himself as an admirer of Orbán. “The winds of change are already here!”, Urban wrote in a message he published, “Congratulations!”
The leader of the extreme right in France, Marine Le Pen, joined in the congratulations on the victory: “The people refuse to see the national torch extinguished, so the hope for change remains alive in Europe.”