Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Merz and the CDU/CSU bloc on their projected election victory on his personal X/Twitter on Sunday evening.
German Jews express alarm as the far Right AfD rises in polls, while US VP J.D. Vance's remarks challenge the political firewall against the party.
Likud will be the first non-European party to join in any capacity, with social media critics claiming this as evidence that 'Zionism is fascism.'
EUROPEAN AFFAIRS: Maassen has been repeatedly accused of using antisemitic codes, ranting about 'globalists,' a 'new world order,' or an impending 'great reset', all far Right antisemitic buzzwords.
Friedrich Merz broke a political taboo by aligning with the AfD on immigration, winning a symbolic vote but facing backlash and a major legislative defeat.
The AfD, which is under state surveillance on suspicion of being right-wing extremist, has come under fire in the past for criticizing Germany's culture of remembrance around the Holocaust.
The threat AfD poses to Jews goes beyond rhetoric. If the party’s ideas on animal protection were to become law, it would become very difficult to keep kosher in Germany.
Musk spoke in favor of voting for the far-right party, saying 'I'm very excited for the AfD; I think you're really the best hope for Germany...fight for a great future for Germany,'
An event near Zurich in mid-December at which two AfD politicians spoke was organized by the Swiss neo-Nazi group Junge Tat and attended by members of Blood & Honour.
Anti-migration rhetoric may be the visible tip of the ideological iceberg, but below the surface lurk the same old antisemitic beliefs of the past.