A major faction in the European Parliament formally aligned itself with Israel this week, recognizing Jerusalem’s rights in Judea and Samaria and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, according to reporting by The Daily Wire. The Patriots for Europe group made the move during a gathering in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday.
The endorsement lands as a significant boost for the Jewish state at a moment when several European governments have escalated pressure over Israeli construction in the West Bank. Patriots for Europe framed its position as a direct rebuke of those efforts, describing European boycott campaigns and anti-settlement sanctions as antisemitism driven by double standards.
A Bloc With Growing Reach
Patriots for Europe was formed in June 2024 by then-Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the Czech Republic’s Andrej Babiš, and Austria’s Herbert Kickl. It has since grown into the third-largest group in the European Parliament, holding 86 seats across 14 national delegations. The group is led by Jordan Bardella of France’s National Rally, which campaigns under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again.” Its platform emphasizes national sovereignty, strict border control, and traditional values, and it has positioned itself against what it characterizes as overreach by Brussels.
By throwing its weight behind Israel, the bloc is now wading into one of the most contested diplomatic fights in Europe — the question of Israeli settlements and the broader direction of EU policy toward Jerusalem.
The Pushback From London
The Patriots for Europe move counters a campaign led in part by the United Kingdom. Twelve nations, including France, Canada, and the U.K., recently called on Israel to halt construction in Judea and Samaria. U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband went further, announcing a planned embargo on West Bank imports from Israeli settlements.
The reaction from Jerusalem was swift. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar warned, “If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, posting on X, called for the British ambassador to be expelled, saying, “We will not be a doormat trampled by an antisemitic government … trying to save itself from economic and social decline.”
The dispute is not confined to the Middle East and Europe. In the United States, Florida Republican Rep. Randy Fine pointed to state law §287.135, which penalizes entities that participate in anti-Israel boycotts. Fine noted that the same statute had previously forced Airbnb to reverse course, and warned that the British government’s “vanity project in support of Muslim terror could cost them billions of dollars.”
A Longer Historical Backdrop
According to The Daily Wire’s reporting, the current British posture fits a pattern stretching back decades. Declassified records cited in that reporting show that British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden deliberately blocked a secret U.S. rescue mission aimed at saving concentration camp victims in 1944, reportedly out of concern that survivors would emigrate to their ancestral homeland. Britain also closed Palestine’s doors to fleeing Holocaust victims, blockaded survivor ships such as the Exodus 1947, and commanded Arab forces during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.
Whether that history carries weight in today’s debate is a matter of sharp disagreement. Supporters of the Patriots for Europe resolution see the comparison as apt; critics of the bloc’s position argue that the settlements remain a major obstacle to a negotiated settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, and that the twelve-nation statement reflected long-standing international consensus rather than animus.
What Comes Next
Patriots for Europe’s formal adoption of the IHRA charter against antisemitism places the group squarely in a broader European argument over how antisemitism is defined and how that definition should shape policy toward Israel. The IHRA working definition is used by several governments and institutions, though its application to criticism of Israeli policy remains contested.
With 86 seats across 14 delegations, the bloc now has a substantial platform to press its position inside the European Parliament. How much practical influence it can exert over EU foreign policy — which is largely shaped by member-state governments and the European Commission — remains an open question.
Still, the endorsement gives Israel a vocal institutional ally in Strasbourg at a time when it is facing coordinated pressure from several European capitals. Combined with allies in the United States, Patriots for Europe’s move signals that the fight over European policy toward Israel is far from settled — and that the political forces lining up on either side are preparing for a longer contest.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/europes-right-wing-heavyweights-draw-line-in-the-sand-back-israel-in-judea-and-samaria