Member of Knesset Ayoub Kara (Likud) was criticized in Israel Friday for visiting Austria at the invitation of the Freedom Party. Member of Knesset Shai Hermesh (Kadima), who heads the Israel chapter of the World Jewish Congress, called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to fire the deputy minister, explaining, "I am shocked by the legitimization that the government of Israel is giving to a neo-Nazi party."
Knesset Member Nachman Shai accused Kara of acting like a bull in a china shop, adding, "Foreign matters demand expertise and experience, but in the absence of diplomatic leadership, the vacuum is with poor initiatives such as this one, which result in serious damage to Israel and the Jewish people."
The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday that Austrian Jewish leader Ariel Muzicant criticized Kara's visit because of the Freedom Party's Nazi links. Kara said he did not find those links in a look at the party's background and noted that the party was the only one in Austria that supported Israel following the Gaza flotilla incident and condemned calls for a boycott of Israel.