Publications
Memorandum No. 175, INSS, Tel-Aviv, June 2018

In recent years, the populist radical right parties have grown in strength in many European countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Holland, Denmark, Finland, Poland, and Hungary. The meteoric rise of the radical right parties reflects broad public criticism of global trends such as immigration, multiculturalism, and the concentration of political power in the hands of the European Union and its institutions. Accordingly, a not insignificant part of the radical right’s agenda is directed toward the delegitimization of the EU and the tarnishing of its image in the eyes of Europe’s citizens, with the intention of encouraging the exit of additional countries from the EU. It is no coincidence that senior EU officials feel that the rise of the populist radical right has far reaching consequences for the future of the EU and its ability to weather future crises. A large part of the success of the radical right parties stems from their close relations with the Kremlin, which works through them to undermine the EU from within. Due to their anti-Muslim agenda and their view of Israel as the spearhead of the West’s fight against Islam, the rise of the radical right parties will likely have implications for the future relations between Europe and Israel.