Dutch politician Geert Wilders arrives in Israel for short official visit

The Dutch politician Geert Wilders, chairman of the Party for Freedom (PVV) arrived in Israel from the Netherlands on Sunday for a three-day official visit.

Wilders was welcomed by President Isaac Herzog and met Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, whom he described as his “very, very good friend,” along with other officials, including Defense Minister Israel Katz and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

He also met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, shortly before he was to give testimony in his corruption trial.

In a post on 𝕏, Wilders said after meeting with the prime minister, "In 1 year – by crushing Hamas, pulverizing Hezbollah and significantly weakening Iran - he has done more to fight (international) terrorism than the EU has done in the last 70 years!"

Netanyahu responded enthusiastically, “I thank Geert Wilders, head of the largest party in the Netherlands and a true friend of Israel, for the kind words. It was a great meeting!”

Wilders is a controversial figure in Europe and received considerable criticism for his trip to Israel, particularly due to his plans to visit Judea and Samaria, and to meet with Samaria Governor Yossi Dagan on Sunday.

The day before flying, he wrote on 𝕏, "I am proud and privileged to visit Israel for 36 hours in the next few days, meet their leaders and politicians and visit beautiful Judea and Samaria where I used to live for some time in the eighties."

Known as a strong supporter of Israel, Wilders has been vocal in denouncing terrorism and antisemitism, calling for “immediate, strong measures” for those involved in the pogroms in Amsterdam following the Maccabi Tel Aviv football match in November.

He has repeatedly called for justice for the Israelis affected by the violence, and according to The Jerusalem Post, declared himself 'speechless' when it emerged that the police had not arrested any of the attackers.

Herzog told Wilders, “We greatly appreciate your unwavering solidarity with the Israeli people as we continue to work to free our hostages, and to fight against the evil of terrorism in our region. Thank you for your strong stand against antisemitism in the Netherlands and around the world.”