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MIDDLE EAST

Why did Austria vote against a Gaza ceasefire?

Austria was one of just four countries in the EU to vote against the UN’s resolution for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, alongside Czechia, Hungary and Croatia. Why did the neutral Alpine Republic take a hard stance?

Published: 30 October 2023 15:21 CET
People wave Palestinian flags and shout slogans in support of Palestine during a Pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the Chancellery in Vienna, Austria on October 15, 2023.
People wave Palestinian flags and shout slogans in support of Palestine during a Pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the Chancellery in Vienna, Austria on October 15, 2023. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

In the latest round of conflict in the Middle East, 1,400 Israelis and nearly 8,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, according to estimations at the time of writing on October 30th.

But why did Austria – a militarily neutral country that isn’t part of NATO – vote no to a ceasefire?

Neighbouring Germany, well known for its political support for Israel based on the legacy of the Holocaust, abstained.

The UN resolution, co-sponsored by Jordan and Turkey condemns “all violent acts against Palestinian and Israeli civilians and all forms of terrorism and indiscriminate violence”.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who visited Israel last week along with Czech PM Petr Fiala to show support for the country after the most deadly terrorist attack in its history, said he expects clear condemnation of Hamas.

Explaining Austria’s rare decision to take a strong stance, Nehammer of the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) said: “A resolution in which the terrorist organisation Hamas is not named, in which the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th are not condemned and in which Israel’s right to self-defence, which is enshrined in international law, is not stated – Austria cannot agree to such a resolution.”

However, it seems like not everyone in Austria’s government agrees. The foreign policy spokesperson of the Greens, who are currently in coalition with the ÖVP, said that they were “not consulted” about the vote. Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic told the Tiroler Tageszeitung that “an abstention, like for example Germany’s, would have been appropriate from our perspective”.

The Greens later rowed back on her statement and said “the government is completely unified” and that “a resolution that neither contains Israel’s right to self-defence against terror nor condemns the actions of Hamas cannot possibly meet with our approval”.

There are also domestic political considerations.

The ÖVP is currently lagging behind the far-right FPÖ in the polls, and strongly supporting Israel could be an attempt to win back voters outraged about the increase of antisemitism on Austria’s streets.

Political scientist Martin Malek told The Local: “The background is: officially Austria tries to position itself as pro-Israel.

“Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was proud of his good relationship with [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu. Netayahu and Kurz were equally proud of their good relationship with Putin.

“Even the FPÖ is attempting to position itself as pro-Israel. Which is totally unbelieveable. This party is not suitable to be a “pro-Israel” (or pro-Jewish) force due to its entire tradition”. The FPÖ was founded by former Nazis.

READ ALSO: Concern grows in Austria about antisemitic attacks

Austrian history plays a part in current views

As part of the Nazi Reich, Austria bears responsibility for the Holocaust, though the question of how much is a topic of debate within the Alpine country.

In the past Austria often portrayed itself as “the first victim of the Nazi regime” as it was annexed by the Nazis in 1938.

However, the so-called “Anschluss” that brought the two German-speaking nations together was popular in Austria at the time, and a huge crowd of nearly 250,000 people came out to greet Hitler when he arrived in Vienna.

Read ALSO: ‘Hitler didn’t plan to annex Austria so quickly, but the joyful crowds changed his mind’

Some prominent Nazis, notably Adolf Hitler himself, were actually Austrian.

Austria and Israel established diplomatic ties in 1950, after Israel gave up on an attempt to make the country admit its role in the crimes of the Second World War.

Relations between the two countries haven’t always been easy. When Kurt Waldheim, a former Wehrmacht officer, won the presidential election in 1986, Israel actually called back its ambassador. And in the 1990s, Social Democrat President Bruno Kreisky was a prominent advocate for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, where Palestine would be recognised as an independent state. 

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AUSTRIAN HABITS

What issues do Austrians care about the most?

It is election year, and a new survey reveals which topics Austrians care about the most. Here we tell you what lies closest to their hearts and what does not.

Published: 15 May 2024 12:39 CEST
What issues do Austrians care about the most?

On October 23rd, Austria’s will hold its parliamentary elections for the National Council. This election determines the 183 members of the National Council, which is the primary legislative body in the country.

The election to the National Council takes place every five years and it is the country’s most important election. Austrian citizens who are at least 16 years old on election day are entitled to vote.

With the upcoming election in mind, a recent survey conducted by Linz-based Market Institute on behalf of Der Standard, revealed which topics eligible voters in Austria consider the most important, and what actions they are willing to take to see changes taking place.

Better healthcare is top priority

The survey showed that Austrians prioritise improvements in the healthcare system the most. Around 82 percent believe that improving the healthcare system was an important political concern. This belief remains consistent across different age groups and political beliefs. However, the level of interest in healthcare improvements tends to increase with age. 

Concerns surrounding the state of the ountry’s healthcare system have mounted in recent years. Austria is currently dealing with a serious staff shortage in the healthcare sector, meaning fewer available medical staff for patients. Additionally, the system faces new challenges arising from changes in doctors preferences and the limited number of contracts for practices with public healthcare funds. Many doctors prefer to work as private sector doctors, known as “Wahlarzt” in German, rather than having contracts with insurance-funded practices, where the doctors are referred to as “Alle Kassenarzt” in German.

In addition to healthcare, Austrians also prioritise a better education system (78 percent), fighting corruption (76 percent), fighting high prices and inflation (75 percent), maintaining neutrality (72 percent), reducing energy costs (70 percent), and better paid jobs (67 percent). Legalising cannabis ranks lowest in importance among respondents, with only 19 percent in favour.

But even if voters highlighted these issues as important, many revealed. they did not want to get involved politically themselves to make things better. Only about 35 percent of those who want to improve healthcare are ready to join efforts such as demonstrating, collecting signatures, or networking with others to make changes happen.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How the Austrian healthcare system works

Niche topics create more motivation for mobilisation

The survey showed the level of public engagement varied depending on the issue.

From the subjects mentioned above, only two – neutrality and energy costs, have the potential to persuade people to get involved in politics. Since those are niched topics they have potential to garner greater public support and engagement.

David Pfarrhofer, political researcher at Market Institute, suggested that niche topics often mobilise members of the public more than broader issues due to their specific focus and great relevance to smaller groups of people.

Political views influence opinions

Political party connections affect how Austrians view different social issues. While many supporters from different parties agree on protesting against right-wing extremism and supporting rights to free abortion, opinions on other matters such as reducing working hours, improving the military, climate change activism and immigration differ a lot among different political groups.

For example, while half of The Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and a third of the The Green Party voters (Die Grünen) like the idea of working less, it is not popular among supporters of other parties, especially among those who support the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP).

Another example is that two-thirds of respondents believe that protests against discrimination against women are justified. However, supporters of ÖVP and The Freedom Party (FPÖ) agree less with this statement than the other parties. “This is probably because many of them no longer consider such a disadvantage to exist,” says Pfarrhofer.

When it comes to protests against immigration, 84 percent of FPÖ supporters view protests against immigration as justified, meanwhile 52 percent of The Green Party supporters and 40 percent of SPÖ supporters reject such protests.

READ MORE: Healthcare in Austria: Why are there fewer ‘public’ doctors?

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