Free Republic

Serbia has sharply condemned Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, for what it described as “unacceptable interference in internal affairs,” after she criticized the Balkan country’s military cooperation with Israel. The diplomatic dispute follows Albanese’s visit to Belgrade this week, during which she accused Serbian authorities of collaborating “without shame” with Israel, claiming Serbia is among its strongest allies and that Serbian weapons are being used in Gaza. “We consider the statements made by the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Mrs. Albanese, to be unbalanced and activist in nature, and as such inappropriate to the mandate she...

U.S. conservatives have long pointed to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as proof that a Western leader can crack down on immigration, defy global institutions and wage war on “woke” liberalism – and still win elections. But as Hungary heads toward an April 12 parliamentary election, some of Orban’s most enthusiastic admirers in the U.S., including President Donald Trump, are confronting a once‑unthinkable prospect: after 16 years in power, Europe’s champion of “illiberal democracy” could be voted out of office. Defeat for Orban would reverberate well beyond Hungary, casting doubt on the durability of a political system – marked by...

The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday that the nation of Hungary, on two occasions, blocked attempts by the European Union to make a consensus statement against the anticipated Israeli military operation against Hamas in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where the bulk of Hamas terrorists are thought to be concentrated.EU’s Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell reportedly tried to unite all 27 member states behind a statement calling for an “immediate humanitarian pause” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, a move that Israel argues would allow Hamas to regroup and rearm its terrorist elements.According to the report, Borell eventually succeeded...

"It's good to have an enemy," says George Birnbaum, one of the godfathers of modern populism. "Very rarely will you find someone who's loved by everybody." A political consultant for 30 years, he helped Benjamin Netanyahu come to power in a surprise victory in Israel in 1996, and Hungary's Viktor Orban in 2010. He has clients in many countries, and flits nowadays between New York, Dubai and Harare. George Birnbaum built his reputation as one of "Arthur's kids" - under mentor and late business partner Arthur Finkelstein, a brilliant mathematician who re-invented the art of political campaigning in the US,...

Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו @netanyahu: Thank you my friend, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. I look forward to continue to expand the close friendship between Israel and Hungary.* Quote Tweet Orbán Viktor @PM_ViktorOrban: What a great victory for Benjamin @Netanyahu in Israel! Hard times require strong leaders. Welcome back. *

President Jair Bolsonaro said in his address to the nation on Tuesday that Latin America’s most populous country has now been "liberated from socialism and political correctness". He promised to combat the "ideology of gender" teaching in schools, "respect our Judeo-Christian tradition" and "prepare children for the job market, not political militancy". Notable foreign leaders attending the inauguration include Hungary's hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Israel's hawkish premier Benjamin Netanyahu, who has hailed a budding "brotherhood" with Brazil's new leader. Leftist Presidents Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Miguel Díaz-Canel of Cuba, deemed dictators by Bolsonaro,...

An historic meeting was held in Budapest today, July 19, 2017. It was the culmination of a two-day state visit to Hungary by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first such visit by a sitting Israeli prime minister. The prime ministers for the Visegrad Four group of Central European nations (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic) were also present. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán currently holds the rotating presidency for that group, and he was authorized to act on behalf of the other three in his discussions and negotiations with the Israeli prime minister. The results may be seen...

Israel's foreign ministry has issued a statement denouncing U.S. billionaire George Soros, a move that appeared designed to align Israel more closely with Hungary ahead of a visit to Budapest next week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Soros, a Hungarian-born Jew who has spent a large part of his fortune funding pro-democracy and human rights groups, has repeatedly been targeted by Hungary's right-wing government, in particular over his support for more open immigration. In the latest case, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has backed a campaign in which Soros is singled out as an enemy of the state. "Let's not allow...

In defiance of European Union guidelines, Hungary will not label products from Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights. Indeed, its foreign minister urges greater cooperation with Israel in fighting global terrorism. Speaking at a breakfast meeting of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations on Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto, who was on a 24-hour visit to Israel, said that his country will not label products from Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights, calling the EU’s decision to do so “irrational.” “We do not support that decision. It is an inefficient instrument. It is irrational and does...

Viktor Orban has said he fears the Iran war could worsen the migrant crisis and outlined what he thinks Europe needs… The GB News host referred the migrant crisis of 2015 - where over one million people fled conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq - and asked whether the same could be repeated now. The Hungarian PM replied: "I think now we have two difficulties approaching us from that conflict. "One is migration, exactly as you have elaborated, and the other is energy. "And the impact of this war on the energy supply and the price of the energy. "So...

Famous British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson has shared a clip of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary talking to GB News’ Miriam Cates on the social media site X. In the short video, PM Orbán discusses mass migration into Europe. Cates suggests that despite the British people voting against mass migration in a number of elections in a row—presumably referring to the Conservative Party’s winning streak of four general elections between 2010 and 2019, along with the 2016 Brexit referendum—the United Kingdom still has had a high number of immigrants coming into the country every year. This is in contradiction...

Former President Barack Obama thinks nothing of trying to interfere in the internal politics of democratic U.S. allies in Europe, and in the process, thwarting his country’s own current foreign policy, as determined by his elected successor, President Donald Trump. All in the name of democracy, of course. And he can do all this because he has built a very well-endowed foundation into which billionaires pour funds and which he uses to train future leaders to transform the world along Obama’s vision—pretty much the way he promised to transform the United States, and some say, sadly, he did. The Daily...

The historic Thurn und Taxis hunting lodge was burned down on Monday morning. Lappersdorf Volunteer Fire Department.German police are investigating whether far-left extremists from Antifa were behind a massive fire that destroyed the historic Thurn und Taxis hunting lodge near Regensburg, Bavaria earlier this week. The fire, which broke out in the early hours of Monday, reduced the 19th-century building to its outer walls and caused damage estimated at around €4 million. Authorities confirmed that a statement claiming responsibility for the arson has been posted on the far-left online platform Indymedia. The message, signed by an “Antifa Kommando,” described the...

US President Donald Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to address his obstruction of Ukraine's EU membership, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. The conversation emerged from Monday's White House discussions between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders. European officials requested that Trump leverage his relationship with Orban to convince him to abandon his opposition to Ukraine's EU bid, the news outlet reported, citing those familiar with the matter. Orban maintains opposition During the call, Hungary expressed a willingness to host future negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy. Trump said there would be a meeting between Putin and...

"The first-order, existential challenge to democracy in Eastern Europe is coming from leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — once, incidentally, a recipient of a Soros scholarship — who mistake their substantial popular mandate for a free pass to crack down on dissenting voices. Under Orbán’s leadership, Hungary’s democratic bona fides have declined in recent years, according to Freedom House."

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a high-profile meeting with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orbán, in Budapest. Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, has called Orbán his “comrade in this fight for the ideas of freedom,” and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni is Orbán’s “Christian sister.” Last year, Donald Trump hosted the Hungarian leader three times at Mar-a-Lago. How did this one country in Europe become a beacon for right-wing ideas—and leaders—around the world? Once upon a time, Hungary was the poster child of “regime change”—the peaceful transition from communism to democracy. The process was indeed peaceful. But was it...

At a gathering in Madrid, members of Europe’s far-right parties set aside any trepidation they might have about President Trump’s threats, and instead focused on a common enemy — the European Union. ...There was Marine Le Pen of France’s far-right National Rally; the Netherland’s populist, Geert Wilders; the leader of Italy’s League party, Matteo Salvini. All made clear that they shared Mr. Trump’s charge against what they see as “wokeism,” “gender theory,” and overweening environmentalism. For them, the American president had blown through the last barriers that had confined their parties to the political margins. The taboos had been toppled....

Europe's far-right political leaders have praised Donald Trump and said they wanted to "Make Europe Great Again" as they met in Madrid. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italy's deputy premier Matteo Salvini, French National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen and Netherlands' PVV party founder Geert Wilders were among those at the gathering organised by Spanish far-right party, Vox. Referring to what he called "the Trump tornado", Mr Orban said the Republican candidate's victory in November's US presidential election and subsequent return to the White House had "changed the world in just a few weeks... yesterday we were heretics, today...

President Trump gets a thing or two done. In his first term in office, President Trump apparently thought he could operate as if the federal government were a corporation he headed as Chief Executive and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. He assumed those beneath him would give him honest counsel, would perform their assigned duties, and follow his directives. He learned otherwise. All the steps he took the first week after beginning his astonishing second term are those a wise CEO and commander in chief must take to do the job he promised and was elected to do....

Polish Prime Minister also said his Hungarian counterpart "is playing in Putin’s team"MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk threatened his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban with consequences if he vetoes the extension of sanctions against Russia. "If Prime Minister Viktor Orban really blocks European sanctions at a key moment for the war, it’ll be absolutely clear that in this big game for the security and future of Europe, he is playing in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s team, not in ours. With all the consequences of this fact," he wrote on X. On January 24, Orban demanded that, ahead...