by Eldad Beck
The Freedom Party of Austria has gone from a group of fringe radicals to politicians who can now position themselves as part of the mainstream and say, "Consider yourselves warned."
Something
happened on Feb. 4, 2000: In a move that rocked Europe, the Freedom
Party of Austria (FPO), a radical right-wing party that did not hide its
admiration for the Nazis, joined the ranks of a European government for
the first time since World War II.
Two million people took part in what was
one of the largest protests ever held in Vienna. For the first time, the
European Union imposed sanctions on a member state. Israel recalled its
ambassador to Vienna, and for the first time since 1986, when the
people of Austria elected former Nazi Kurt Waldheim to the
chancellorship, cut ties with the country.
FPO leader Jorg Haider paid a price for the
outrage: Although his party was the largest in the coalition, it was
left outside the government and the conservative Austrian People's Party
instead took the helm.
The protest and the sanctions did not last
for very long. The Austrian opposition gave in. The EU understood
Austria was not the only country where the radical Right looked as if it
was about to enter the government. Italy, Denmark and Holland all
appeared to be next. These countries could not all face sanctions or
threats of being kicked out of the EU.
Israel, too, grew accustomed to the new
political reality. In fact, it was this problematic government of which
the FPO was a member that for the first time, after decades of denials
and refusal by previous governments, offered symbolic reparations for
Jews of Austrian origin whose family's property was confiscated by the
Nazis. Of course, from the standpoint of Austrian Jews, who received
minimal compensation, this was a humiliating gesture, but it was a
gesture nonetheless. FPO members further harnessed their ties in the
Arab world to aid Israel in negotiations for kidnapped and missing
persons. Jerusalem ultimately returned its ambassador to Vienna in 2004.
When the Austrian Parliament swears in the
new government of Sebastian Kurz on Monday, members of the FPO will be
put in charge of Austria's Defense and Interior ministries. Not many
protesters are expected to turn out in Vienna, the EU is not even
contemplating imposing sanctions and in Israel, there are those calling
for the government to reconsider its boycott policy toward the FPO,
which has remained intact, and assess the changes implemented under the
leadership of Haider's successor, Heinz-Christian Strache.
Much has changed in Europe in the past 17
years, due to the breaking of political taboos on radical right-wing
parties and the FPO's entry into the government. At the time,
then-Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel (Austrian People's Party), who
adhered to the false version of Austria's history that holds that
Austria was the first victim of the Third Reich and whose father was an
ardent Nazi, claimed that allowing the FPO into the government would
lessen its power and force party members to prove they were actually
capable of governing. And indeed, after a few years of serving in the
government, the FPO appeared to be on the verge of self-destruction,
largely as a result of Haider's unstable personality.
Though Haider was killed in an accident in
2008, his party has managed to recover and position itself as a
formidable political force. Foreigners, immigration, Islam and refugees,
which had always been part of the party's platform, have become burning
issues. The FPO has gone from a group of fringe radicals to politicians
who can now position themselves as part of mainstream society and say,
"Consider yourselves warned."
Kurz is not Schuessel. He is a true friend
of Israel. So much so that for the first time in Austria's history, the
incoming government's platform includes a commitment to preserving
Israel's Jewish character and recognition of Austria's role in the
Holocaust.
Strache is not Haider. He may have
backtracked a little on his promise to ensure the transfer of the
Austrian Embassy from Ramat Gan to Jerusalem, and with a touch of
anti-Semitism, exploited the political scandal, in which Israeli adviser
Tal Silberstein was accused of misconduct by promoting allegedly racist
propaganda in a smear campaign against the Austrian People's Party, for
political means. But as vice chancellor, the burden is now on him to
prove his intentions toward Israel and the Jews. One such way would be
to bring about deeper reconciliation between Austria and its Jewish
population, possibly through an appropriate compensation agreement.
Eldad Beck
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/a-different-europe/
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