The European populist radical Right's evolving relationship with Israel

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It is acknowledged that the rise of the populist Radical Right (PRR) represents a key development in party politics in Western Europe. However, while the drivers of voter support and domestic strategies start to receive scholarly attention, little analysis has focused on the international agenda of the PRR. Through my proposed study of the Western European PRR's relationship with Israel, I will address this blind spot. Research has shown that mainstream parties embody an outdated concept of society that contrasts with large parts of the electorate in a globalised Western Europe. Under these conditions, the PRR has been effective in tapping into fears that national identity and traditional values are under threat, and is ideally placed to offer policies of cultural protectionism in response. Yet other strategic and ideological factors also play an important role. The desire for mainstream acceptance has seen elements of the PRR conforming to a post-1945 political consensus that rejects anti-Semitism - regardless of the general resilience of such attitudes. A history of anti-Semitism has been (publicly) eclipsed by anti-Muslim prejudice, which today is more easily accepted in political debates. More puzzling, however, are signs that the PRR is adopting novel positions on international conflicts. Here, scholars have noted increasing levels of support for Israel. Does a 'pro-Israeli' position feed into the anxieties of globalisation's 'losers'? Is the PRR blurring the borders between Israel and Europe to validate its own cultural protectionism and growing anti-Muslim prejudice? Or is the increasing support for Israel a calculated attempt to conform to a post-1945 consensus? The foreign policy of the PRR will become increasingly relevant as the party family grows. Thus, it is crucial to understand if factors determining national policies are equally valid for international affairs. With this goal, the PhD's central research question is: 'How has the Western European Populist Radical Right's Position towards Israel Changed since 1979?'. With its link between national and domestic issues, the results of my research will interest both scholars of IR and comparative politics. Following the development of a research framework and literature review in the first year of study, I will proceed with 12 months of research and fieldwork. The central research question will be answered via two interrelated stages of enquiry in the third year of study. First, I will be performing a discourse analysis of political statements made by the PRR related to Israel/Palestine at both a European and national level. Nationally, I will focus on key Western European states - Austria, Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland - to better understand 1) the extent to which the PRR has shifted its position towards Israel since 1979. My previous research signals a clear albeit uneven 'pro-Israeli' shift which I believe further research will verify. I have also witnessed indicative signs of such a shift through my work in East Jerusalem. Second, I will set out to identify 2) the factors driving the PRR's change in support for Israel. Here, I will be chiefly testing two possible assumptions: 2a) that the PRR's growing support for Israel is an attempt to capitalise on new political openings in a transformed Western Europe; and 2b) that the PRR is adopting a 'pro-Israeli' position to normalise its public image. Here, expert interviews with PRR parties will build on the analysis of party statements. Furthermore, I will be undertaking participatory observation, participating in several 'pro-Israeli' events attended by PRR politicians. In essence, this PhD will examine the extent to which foreign disputes have become ideological illustrations of the PRR's culturally protectionist policies. In a supposed age of terrorism marked by heightened social tensions, there is a both an academic and pressing political need to to close this gap in understanding.