Austria’s Freedom Party, or FPÖ, is seeking political legitimacy through an unexpected alliance with figures in Israel. Led by Herbert Kickl, the party currently leads national polls with roughly 40 percent support amid a leadership crisis within Austria’s Social Democrats.
Historical Roots and Ideological Continuity
The FPÖ was historically a gathering place for former Nazis, according to Florian Wenninger, head of the Institute for Historical Social Research in Vienna. The party’s first chairman was Anton Reinthaller, a former SS brigade leader. Its second chairman, Friedrich Peter, was an officer of an SS murder brigade that massacred Jews and prisoners of war behind the Eastern Front.
While the party shifted its tone as that generation of voters died out toward the end of the 20th century, the historian notes that its ideology remains firmly anchored in the right-wing to far-right milieu. Gerhard Karner criticized the party for consciously refusing to distance itself from right-wing extremists under Kickl’s leadership.
Strasbourg Conference and Israeli Outreach
The outreach gained visibility during a September conference in Strasbourg held by the far-right grouping Patriots for Europe, which was attended by representatives of Israel’s governing Likud party. The meeting focused on the theme of Islamism and antisemitism as threats to European freedom.
Addressing the conference, Kickl condemned the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack as a crime against humanity, according to Israeli media reports. The FPÖ leader also addressed Austria’s complicity in the Holocaust, apologizing directly to Jewish Austrians, Holocaust survivors, their descendants, and the Jewish people, as the Israeli news portal Ynet reported.
Diplomatic Reception and Domestic Criticism
Gideon Saar welcomed Kickl’s move as an important and positive development, stating that his remarks allowed for an open and sincere dialogue to understand his positions. Vienna political scientist Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik stated that the strategy allows Kickl to distance the party from its past while simultaneously strengthening its anti-Islam platform.
Domestically, the strategy faces internal dissent and opposition. Critics within the right-wing camp have attacked Kickl for what they term a new “cult of guilt” and subservience toward Israel. Meanwhile, the Jewish community remains opposed, with the Israelite Cultural Community viewing the FPÖ’s rhetoric and ongoing entanglements with extremism as a red flag.
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