Austria’s newly formed governing coalition includes the Freedom party (known by its German acronym FPO), which was founded by an ex-SS officer in 1956 and has long been a magnet for bigots, quasi-fascists, and Nazi apologists. Yet, argues Isi Leibler, the party has changed a great deal since the departure of its longtime leader Jörg Haider in 2005, and it would be foolish for Israel to shun Austria because of the FPO’s past:

With the broadening of support for the FPO, [its current leader, Heinz-Christian Strache], seeks to . . . purge it of the anti-Semites and fascists and concentrate on becoming a popular anti-immigration party. In fact, Strache openly courts Jews and Israel.

The coalition government’s program, published jointly by the FPO and [Prime Minister Sebastian] Kurz’s Austrian People’s party, . . . proclaims that combating anti-Semitism in Austria is one of the government’s principal objectives and that Nazism was “one of the greatest tragedies in world history.” The country that, until recently, claimed to be a victim of Nazism now vows to commemorate those who underwent “terrible suffering and misery” arising from the Anschluss, Austria’s 1938 unification with Nazi Germany.

The new government also explicitly commits itself “to Israel as a Jewish state”—a major departure from previous Austrian policy—and calls for a “peaceful solution in the Middle East, with special consideration for Israel’s security interests.” . . .

Israel does not need to endorse the policies of the Austrian government or the FPO. . . . Other than the East European states, Israel has no allies in the EU, which is now notorious for its shameless bias and double standards against the Jewish state. Under such circumstances, subject to the Austrian coalition government’s adhering in practice as well as in word to its policy statements concerning Jews, Israel should maintain relations with the Austrian government.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.