The question of anti-Semitism and support for Israel is driving discussions among Franco-Israelis who will vote for these 2024 legislative elections. For many of them, the far right no longer appears as a foil, particularly since the 7 october.
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Although far from Paris, the debate around the political situation in France is lively. After the dissolution of the National Assembly by Emmanuel Macron and before the early legislative elections, the strong French community in Israel – which represents 100,000 people in the country – is wondering. One question keeps coming up: far right or far left, who is the real enemy of Jews and Israel?
In this country at war with Hamas, led by the most extreme government in its history, where the left has not been in power for more than 20 years, the demonstrations for Palestine by part of the left have profoundly stay in mind. “This hatred against the Jewish people, I have never seen that!”denounces Albert who has been a hairdresser in Jerusalem for 25 years.
Like many Franco-Israeli Jews, he votes for the far right. If Europeans only attracted 8% of voters in Israel, more than half of them voted for the far right. “They will first take care of getting France back up and runningbelieves Albert. Before taking care of the Jews, there is work to be done.”
Arguments that are difficult to hear for Yaëlle, who considers the National Rally to be a clearly anti-Semitic party: “Marine Le Pen is the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen. It’s the same party ripolined to give the impression of a Republican party.”
A Republican party in appearance for Yaëlle, who regularly appeals to the Jewish electorate. “Is today’s National Rally the National Front of the 1980s? I don’t think sosays Emmanuel Navon, professor of international relations at Tel Aviv University. The far right does not have a monopoly on anti-Semitism, far from it.”
“The cards are very muddied and this actually makes us rethink the relationship that Israel must have with these parties and with a possible victory of the RN in France.”
Emmanuel Navonto franceinfo
The country, at war in the Gaza Strip since October 7, is led by the most extreme government in its history. The left has not been in power for over 20 years. The Jewish state has also already invited European far-right leaders to its soil, the Hungarian Viktor Orban six years ago, and more recently the Italian Giorgia Meloni.