Far-right Austrian party chief visits Israel, tours Yad Vashem
Heinz-Christian Strache, invited by Likud functionaries, boycotted by Peres, aims ‘to make himself kosher in Israel,’ according to Vienna newspaper
By Sue Surkes
12 April 2016
Far-right Austrian Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache, who four years ago caused a storm by posting an anti-Semitic cartoon on his Facebook page, visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Israel on Tuesday as part of what he claims is an official visit to Israel at the invitation of the Likud party.
The Austrian daily newspaper Die Presse reported Tuesday that Strache’s motive for the visit was “to make himself kosher in Israel” in the belief that if the Jewish state accepted him, other world leaders would do so too.
Strache’s official Facebook page says he’s in the country on an official visit at the invitation of Likud and that he will be meeting with high-ranking Israeli politicians.
One politician he will not be meeting with is former president Shimon Peres, who, after consulting with the Foreign Ministry, turned down a request for a meeting received from Strache’s office in March.
Read more at https://www.timesofisrael.com/far-right-austrian-freedom-party-chief-visits-israel/
