The left-leaning Le Monde wrote last Friday that after eighteen months of unwavering support for the Israeli government, the French Rassemblement National (National Rally, or RN)) party has earned a significant opportunity for further “de-demonization.” On March 26 and 27, RN President Jordan Bardella will visit Israel to attend a conference, which will conclude with remarks from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Marion Maréchal, a former RN member of the European Parliament who remains allied with the party, will also attend. The RN has hailed the invitation as “historic.”
The invitation was extended by Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli to Bardella to attend an international conference in Jerusalem on combating antisemitism. It has already sparked criticism and caused several prominent attendees to withdraw. It unsettled Jewish leaders in France, although the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), which typically boycotts both “far-right” and “far-left” political parties, has yet to comment on the invitation.
French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy has canceled his participation upon learning that Jordan Bardella and Marion Maréchal were also invited. Additionally, Felix Klein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany, and the Fight Against Antisemitism, and Volker Beck, a former Green Party parliamentarian who chairs the Germany-Israel Friendship Society (DIG), both withdrew from the event as well.
Le Monde highlighted that the party co-founded by known antisemite Jean-Marie Le Pen (who was ousted long ago by his daughter Marine Le Pen – DI), had long sought an invitation to Israel to help cleanse its reputation of the damage caused by its former leader’s history of antisemitic and Holocaust-denying remarks.
Le Monde suggested that this objective now aligns with the goals of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, which, under an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, is seeking new supporters in European democracies.
The invitation was anticipated after Israel pursued a diplomatic rapprochement with three “far-right” parties—RN, Sweden Democrats, and Spain’s Vox—parties once considered untouchable due to their antisemitic or Holocaust-denying histories. This shift in policy followed Israel’s assessment of their stances on Israel, antisemitism, and their own pasts. Israel also took into account the populist shift in Europe and the potential for these parties to come to power.
President Itzhak Herzog’s office issued a statement saying, “The President’s Residence was asked to host a conference by the Diaspora Affairs Ministry on combating antisemitism. The list of participants has not yet been submitted. Once received, it will be reviewed, as is the case with any event hosted at the residence. We were surprised to learn of some of the invitees, given the conference’s stated purpose of combating antisemitism.”
Journalist Eldad Beck tweeted on Thursday: “The arrival in Israel of senior French right-wing figures, including Jordan Bardella, leader of the “National Union” (formerly the “National Front”), at the invitation of the Israeli government, marks a significant development in the adoption of a groundbreaking Israeli foreign policy. This approach seeks to broaden Israel’s circles of support in Europe and globally, focusing on reaching out to our supporters rather than flattering our enemies.”
