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TPS: Israel Welcomes Austrian Far-Right Leader Kickls Holocaust Apology, Israel Recognition

Israeli FM Gideon Sa'ar welcomed Austrian FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl's Holocaust apology and recognition of Israel's right to exist, calling it a positive.

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Jerusalem, 17 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Israel views positively a speech delivered in Strasbourg by Herbert Kickl, leader of Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ), which included an apology to Jewish victims of Nazism and their descendants.

“I welcome his unequivocal condemnation of the massacre perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, his recognition of Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, and his commitment to protecting Jewish life,” Sa’ar wrote on social media.

Sa’ar also welcomed Kickl’s adoption of the IHRA antisemitism definition and his stated intention to move Austria’s embassy to Jerusalem, calling the statements “an important and positive development” while stressing that “building trust also requires translating commitments into action.”

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Friday, 18 September 2026 Updated continuously