The Israeli Likud party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was accepted as an observer associate of the European alliance of right-wing political parties Patriots for Europe. According to Brusselssignal.eu portalThis decision has been made unanimously during the Patriot legislature for Europe, held on February 7, 2025 in Madrid.
Patriots for Europe are a political group in the European Parliament, bringing together right-wing parties and Eurosceptics from various European countries. Among its members are Hungarian Fidesz, French National Unity, Italian League, Spanish Vox, Austrian Freedom organization and Polish National Movement. The acceptance of Likudu as an observer is the first time a non-European organization obtains specified position under this alliance.
During the Madrid summit, leading politicians of the European right were present, specified as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, leader of the French National Unity Marine Le Pen, president of the Dutch organization of Freedom Geert Wilders, and leader of the Italian League Matteo Salvini. The Vice-President of the National Movement Krzysztof Bosak was present as a typical of the National Movement. Likud represented Ariel Bulshtein, head of global organization affairs and advisor to Prime Minister Netanjah.
The admission of Likudu to the Patriots for Europe met with mixed reactions. The members of the Alliance expressed their satisfaction at the establishment of cooperation, highlighting the common values of democracy, freedom and cultural heritage. On the another hand, critics pay attention to the controversy surrounding Likud and its leader. This party, founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin, has played a key function in Israeli politics for decades, consistently advocating for a strong judaic state and opposing concessions against Palestinians.
There is no shortage of votes that Likudu's presence in the European alliance of the right might be problematic. Prime Minister Netanyahu is presently being prosecuted by an global BOLO issued by the global Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in connection with allegations of Israel's activities in the Gaza Strip.
