Bulgaria’s Return to the Middle East: A Political Exception or Opportunism?
摘要
For what purpose does an Islamophobic, far-right political party in Bulgaria speak in solidarity with Palestine at a time when Iran-backed Hamas co-opts the voices of Gazans and the whole Palestinian resistance? This chapter looks at such paradox with the political and institutional landscape: while most parliamentarians and the “Movement for Rights and Freedoms”—the de facto political party of the Turkish and Muslim communities—sit on the fence, the far-right party “Revival” and its representatives are found outspoken over Israel’s onslaught in Gaza. It is argued that Revival’s exception proves the rule that most far-right political parties align with Israel to whitewash their past of antisemitism and hide their fascist ideology. Moreover, the chapter harks back to Communist Bulgaria as its geopolitical posture towards the Arab countries and whose opportunism resembles today’s posture of Revival towards Palestine and the Middle East.