So far, most leaders in Europe haven’t been particularly enthusiastic about supporting Netanyahu’s government. However, the right wing’s victory in this election shows that Europeans are wary of increasing Islamic immigration and recognize that Israel is the West’s only Middle Eastern ally.
- The center-right European People’s Party won 13 seats and will continue to lead the Parliament. Its center-left coalition partners got pummeled: the Socialists and Democrats lost four seats, and the liberal Renew lost 23 seats. The bloc still holds 402 seats, so no major changes are expected.
- The right-wing and far-right parties gained seven and nine seats respectively, and could potentially be boosted by non-aligned forces like Hungary’s Orban or Germany’s AfD.
- Ursula von der Leyen, current European Commission president, will likely keep her job. But now she will need to heed right-wing demands more, and make the Greens (who lost 18 seats) wait. High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, who bears personal animus for Israel, saw his mandate expire. It remains to be seen if the right-wing wave will bring in leadership more sympathetic to Israel.
- Mishpacha’s European political analyst Jean-Yves Camus sounds a note of caution: “We must not forget that the far right supports Israel primarily because their agenda centers on combating Islam. However, their platform also includes proposals to restrict religious practices, such as shechitah and wearing of kippahs. Also, the far right consistently criticizes Jewish presence in local politics. Their support for Israel is merely a conduit for expressing their opposition to Islamic immigration.”
France
Who Won
The big winner was Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing Rassemblement National (RN), getting more than 30% of the vote and 30 seats (up from 22).
Who Lost
President Emmanuel Macron’s party didn’t even get 15% of the vote, losing 8 representatives.
Why It Matters
The electoral disaster forced Macron to call early legislative elections. The RN, which has anti-Semitic roots but has lately been pro-Israel, could potentially control the French parliament.
