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Last month, Hungarian leader Viktor Orban got an election campaign boost from his far-right colleagues across Europe—a coordinated endorsement from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic; and the leaders of France’s National Rally, Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD), Spain’s Vox, and Austria’s Freedom parties. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lent his voice as well, extolling Orban in prerecorded remarks for “the tenacity, the courage, the wisdom to protect his country and to protect his people.”

Orban and the far-rightists who spoke up for him are not the kind of company that Israeli leaders would have kept in the past. If they aren’t overtly antisemitic, they represent the dark forces of nationalism and illiberalism that Israeli leaders have traditionally shunned as not only bad for the Jews living in their countries but also antithetical to Israeli interests and values.

Last month, Hungarian leader Viktor Orban got an election campaign boost from his far-right colleagues across Europe—a coordinated endorsement from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic; and the leaders of France’s National Rally, Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD), Spain’s Vox, and Austria’s Freedom parties. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lent his voice as well, extolling Orban in prerecorded remarks for “the tenacity, the courage, the wisdom to protect his country and to protect his people.”

Orban and the far-rightists who spoke up for him are not the kind of company that Israeli leaders would have kept in the past. If they aren’t overtly antisemitic, they represent the dark forces of nationalism and illiberalism that Israeli leaders have traditionally shunned as not only bad for the Jews living in their countries but also antithetical to Israeli interests and values.

Yet, the endorsement came as no surprise. Netanyahu has been an Orban supporter for a long time. In April 2025, while he was on an official visit to Budapest, Hungary announced it was quitting the International Criminal Court, which has an arrest warrant out for Netanyahu over allegations of war crimes. It was as much an act of personal friendship as it was an expression of the two leaders’ shared disdain for the court and other international institutions.

Ties between Israel and Europe’s far right are not uniformly friendly. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni became critical of Israel as the Gaza war death toll mounted and popular opinion in Italy turned against the country. Efforts by the AfD to warm up to Israel have received a cold shoulder due to concerns about........

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