JERUSALEM, March 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - European far-right politicians are set to attend a conference on fighting anti-Semitism organised by the Israeli government on Thursday in Jerusalem, a move that has divided the international Jewish community.

Among those invited to the symposium are a member of Hungary's Fidesz party and France's National Rally (RN), whose co-founder was known for his anti-Semitic comments.

Set to speak at the event is the RN's current president Jordan Bardella, capping an unprecedented trip to Israel by a leader of his party.

Bardella on Wednesday visited sites where Hamas militants carried out their October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Bardella first travelled to a memorial marking the site of the Nova music festival, where Hamas fighters killed more than 370 people, including French nationals.

"I came here first and foremost because I believe it's vital for us to never forget what happened on October 7, 2023, here in Israel, what Islamism and the Hamas terrorist movement were capable of," he said.

Since Hamas's attack on Israel, the RN has sought to present itself as a bulwark against anti-Semitism.

The party was co-founded as the National Front by Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died earlier this year, and who was charged and convicted in a French court for downplaying the Holocaust.

His daughter, Marine Le Pen, has moved emphatically to distance the movement from her father's legacy, renaming the party and seeking to make it more broadly electable.

When asked about his party's past during Wednesday's visit, Bardella responded: "I don't do politics in the rearview mirror."

"In that respect, I think we could find fault with many French political parties."

- 'Black and white' -

Thursday's conference will focus on fighting what rights groups have described as a rising tide of anti-Semitism around the world, a priority for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, one of the most right-wing in Israel's history.

Analysts say the invitation to parties that have themselves been accused of anti-Semitism in the past demonstrates the willingness of Israel's right -- under pressure from some traditional allies over the war in Gaza -- to cultivate new relationships with unlikely supporters.

"The current Israeli government sees the world in black and white," said Denis Charbit, a political scientist at the Open University of Israel.

Some in Israel feel the country is currently isolated, and needs "new friends", even if it deems them distasteful, he added.

The guest list for the symposium, organised by right-wing Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, also includes Bardella's fellow MEP Marion Marechal, who leads another far-right movement and is the niece of Marine Le Pen.

Israeli media reported on guests who cancelled their appearances in protest of the far-right's presence, including Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt and the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy.

Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and the UK government's independent adviser on anti-Semitism, John Mann, have also withdrawn.

On Wednesday, Bardella visited Netiv Haasara, on Gaza's northern border, where he met with a Franco-Israeli survivor of October 7 who lost her husband and son in the attacks.

During their conversation, Bardella described Israel's offensive in Gaza a war of "civilisation against barbarism".

"We have always stated with the utmost consistency... that its retaliation and response were legitimate, but that it had to be carried out in accordance with international law," he said.

Bardella rejected the idea of "unconditional support" for Israel, but said he was in favour of close ties with "all nations fighting against Islamic terrorism".