Far-right politicians often cite their support for Israel as proof that they are not anti-Semites. In fact, the openly fascist members of Israel’s government have much more in common with figures like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán than they do with diaspora Jews.
NEW YORK – When political leaders, and their admirers, claim that George Soros, the Hungarian-American-Jewish philanthropist, is pulling the strings of world affairs, we know that anti-Semitism is not far off. But the anti-Semitic nature of these claims has not stopped Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, former US President Donald Trump, and their followers from propagating them.
Both Orbán and Trump often point to their support for Israel as proof that they are not anti-Semites. “No president has done more for Israel than I have,” Trump boasted in October. Orbán, for his part, has cited Israel and Hungary as “models of successful conservative communities.” But he has also said that Hungarians “do not want to become peoples of mixed race” – a statement more redolent of old-fashioned racism than of sympathy for the Jewish people.
In today’s political environment, however, being pro-Israel and anti-Semitic is not a contradiction. In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the even more radical members of his cabinet have a great deal in common with the right-wing nationalist figures in Europe and the United States with whom they have aligned.
NEW YORK – When political leaders, and their admirers, claim that George Soros, the Hungarian-American-Jewish philanthropist, is pulling the strings of world affairs, we know that anti-Semitism is not far off. But the anti-Semitic nature of these claims has not stopped Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, former US President Donald Trump, and their followers from propagating them.
Both Orbán and Trump often point to their support for Israel as proof that they are not anti-Semites. “No president has done more for Israel than I have,” Trump boasted in October. Orbán, for his part, has cited Israel and Hungary as “models of successful conservative communities.” But he has also said that Hungarians “do not want to become peoples of mixed race” – a statement more redolent of old-fashioned racism than of sympathy for the Jewish people.
In today’s political environment, however, being pro-Israel and anti-Semitic is not a contradiction. In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the even more radical members of his cabinet have a great deal in common with the right-wing nationalist figures in Europe and the United States with whom they have aligned.