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Bilateral foreign relations exist between
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. The fact that
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
and other perpetrators of
The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
came from Austria gives the relationship between the two countries a special relevance. At the same time, the founder of
Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
, Theodor Herzl, also lived in
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
and many
Israelis Israelis (; ) are the Israeli citizenship law, citizens and nationals of the Israel, State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Israeli Jews, Jews and Arab citizens of Israel, Arabs, who respectively account for 75 percen ...
are descendants of Austrian Jews. After the founding of Israel, the Second Austrian Republic recognized the Jewish state of Israel shortly after its founding in 1949, before official diplomatic relations were established in 1956. In the 1970s, Bruno Kreisky sought a role as mediator in the Middle East conflict and called for a Palestinian state, which caused disputes with the Israelis. Relations were later strained by the Waldheim affair in the 1980s and the first
FPÖ The Freedom Party of Austria (, FPÖ) is a political party in Austria, variously described as far-right, right-wing populist, national-conservative, and Eurosceptic. It has been led by Herbert Kickl since 2021. It is the largest of five par ...
government participation in 2000. After that, the two countries became close allies and established friendly relations. In 2023, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg announced “we have entered into a strategic, extremely close relationship with Israel that can no longer be undone”. Within the EU, Austria is considered one of the most pro-Israeli countries. Austria recognized Israel on March 5, 1949. Austria has an embassy in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
and 3 honorary consulates (in Eilat,
Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
and
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
). Israel has an embassy in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
. Both countries are full members of the Union for the Mediterranean. The Austrian Foreign Ministry lists the bilateral treaties with Israel (in German only).


History


Background

The presence of Jews in Austria can be traced back to Roman times. The first evidence of a Jewish presence in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
dates back to the 12th century. However, after a growing Jewish community had formed, the Jews were expelled from the Duchy of Austria by Albrecht V of Habsburg in 1420/21, as he accused them of collaborating with the Hussites. After the Jews returned to Austria, they were repeatedly persecuted, and in 1670 they were once again expelled from Vienna. It was not until Emperor Joseph II issued the Patent of Toleration in 1782 as part of the Josephinian reforms that the situation of the Jewish minority improved and the emancipation of the Jews in the
Habsburg Monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
began. In the 19th century, thanks to the improved legal situation, many Jews achieved social advancement and many of their members began to play a leading role in science, culture and business. In the last Austro-Hungarian census of 1910, the almost two million Jews made up around four percent of the population. Jewish strongholds were large cities such as Vienna,
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
and
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
as well as Galicia and Bukovina.
Anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
in Austria intensified due to the important role of Jews in national economic life and demagogic politicians such as Karl Lueger polemicized against the Jewish minority, which also influenced
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
. In response to the rise of political anti-Semitism, Theodor Herzl published the book ''The Jewish State'', which first appeared in Vienna and Leipzig in 1896 and made a decisive contribution to the emergence of political Zionism. The rise to power of the extreme anti-Semite Hitler in Germany in 1933 and the annexation of Austria to
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
soon afterwards in 1938 marked a turning point for the Jews of Austria. Of the almost 200,000 Jews in German Austria, around 65,000 died in
The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
, while the rest were able to flee in time or go into hiding. A large proportion of the Jews in the former Habsburg territories of Central and Eastern Europe also died as a result of the German extermination policy. The survivors then played a decisive role in the establishment of a Jewish state in the Palestine region.


After the founding of Israel

After the Israeli declaration of independence on 14 May 1948, Austria recognized the new state in March 1949 and in the same year Austria granted Israel a loan of 50 million shillings and transferred the mortal remains of Theodor Herzl to Israel. The State of Israel largely adopted the position of the Allied Western Powers, who regarded Austria as the first victim of the Nazis. Austria was exempted from the confiscation of German property in the former
League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
Mandate for Palestine. This laid the foundation for the subsequent establishment of consular relations between the two countries and the ''de jure'' recognition o''f'' Israel by Austria in the spring of 1950, although mutual confirmation of this did not take place until two years later. Prior to this, there were negotiations about Austrian reparations to Israel for the crimes of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The two sides finally reached an agreement in September 1952 and Israel waived all claims in return for a further trade credit of 100 million schillings. Subsequently, negotiations between the Austrian state and the Jewish Committee for Claims on Austria were initiated regarding compensation for persecuted and expropriated Austrian Jews and the persecution of the perpetrators. The negotiations lasted almost three years and were concluded in July 1955. Shortly before this, Austria had committed itself to foreign policy neutrality in the Austrian State Treaty and regained its sovereignty. Israel recognized this and on February 2, 1956, the Austrian Government announced the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel. Relations subsequently developed positively and during the Suez Crisis, Austria took a pro-Israel stance in the UN General Assembly. In 1958, it signed a trade agreement with Israel. A short time later, the arrest of Adolf Eichmann in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, a Nazi who had grown up in Austria, led to the Eichmann trials, which began in 1961 and attracted a great deal of attention throughout the German-speaking world and beyond. At the end of the 1960s, Austria, which was neutral during the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, acted as a hub for the emigration of 270,000 Jews from the Soviet Union to Israel. In September 1973, two Arab terrorists took four Jewish emigrants hostage, and Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky was able to secure the release of the hostages in return for the closure of the transit camp in Schönau an der Triesting. This decision led to criticism from Israeli and US diplomats and strained relations with Israel, although Austria subsequently continued to act as a transit country for Jewish emigrants from the Eastern Bloc. In 1975, Kreisky also spoke out in favour of the establishment of a State of Palestine as part of a mission by the
Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism, consisting mostly of Social democracy, social democratic political parties and Labour mov ...
, while at the same time explicitly recognizing Israel's right to exist. Although Kreisky emphasized his own Jewish origins, the Israelis regarded him with suspicion. After the election of Likud and
Menachem Begin Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'', ; (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of both Herut and Likud and the prime minister of Israel. Before the creation of the state of Isra ...
in 1977, relations deteriorated further and Begin and Kreisky engaged in a public dispute in which Kreisky described Israel as a “ police state”. An attempt at mediation between Egypt and Israel by
Willy Brandt Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and concurrently served as the Chancellor ...
and Kreisky in 1978 was blocked by the Israelis and after Kreisky organized a meeting between Brandt and Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...
in July 1979, he was compared to Hitler by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and condemned by Begin in the Knesset. After Austria became the first Western state to recognize the
Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinians, Palestinian people in both the occupied Pale ...
(PLO) in March 1980, the low point was reached. After the resignation of Kreisky as Austrian Federal Chancellor, relations improved briefly until the election of Kurt Waldheim as Austrian President. Waldheim was accused of war crimes during the Nazi era, which led to the Waldheim Affair. Diplomatic relations were therefore downgraded until 1992. After Waldheimer's departure and the election of Yitzchak Rabin as
Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel (, Hebrew abbreviations, Hebrew abbreviation: ; , ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief executive of the Israel, State of Israel. Israel is a parliamentary republic with a President of Isra ...
, relations finally relaxed again. In 1993, Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky visited Israel and gave a historic speech at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in which he acknowledged Austria's responsibility for the Holocaust. After the 1999 Austrian legislative election, the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) joined the coalition government in 2000, Israel recalled its ambassador. After talks in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
with the Austrian foreign minister, Benita Ferrero-Waldner in 2003, relations were restored. The FPÖ returned to government in 2017 under the government of Sebastian Kurz, but presented itself as Friend of Israel. Chancellor Kurz visited Jerusalem in 2018 and met with Benjamin Netanyahu. He announced that he would make the fight against anti-Semitism the focus of Austria's EU Council Presidency and was described by Netanyahu during the visit as a “true friend of Israel and the Jewish people” Even after the end of Kurz's chancellorship, relations with Israel remained close, and a strategic partnership was concluded in 2022. After Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023, Austria stopped all aid to Palestine. In both October and December 2023, Austria voted against a resolution for a ceasefire in the Gaza War.


Economic relations

Economic relations between the two countries have been significantly expanded as political relations have intensified. Between 2018 and 2022, Austria's exports to Israel increased by 50 percent. In 2023, Austria's total exports amounted to 540 million euros and imports from Israel to 339 million euros. Pharmaceutical products were the largest asset in trade with Israel, but machinery, vehicles and special instruments were also traded. Israeli tourists were responsible for one million overnight stays in Austria in 2023, putting them in 14th place in the tourist statistics, which is remarkable considering Israel's small size.


Ambassadors of Israel to Austria

* Zvi Heifetz * Aviv Shir-On * Dan Ashbel * Avigdor Dagan * Natan Peled


Diplomatic missions

;Republic of Austria *
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
(Embassy) ;State of Israel *
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
(Embassy)


See also

* Foreign relations of Austria * Foreign relations of Israel * Austria–Palestine relations * International recognition of Israel * Jewish Museum Vienna


References


External links


Austria Foreign Ministry: list of bilateral treaties with Israel (in German only)



Israeli embassy in Vienna (in German only)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Austria-Israel relations
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
Bilateral relations of Israel