Latin American Jewish community leaders will meet Wednesday and Thursday at the Jerusalem International Convention Center to discuss various issues on their communities' agendas, including relations with Israel, efforts to delegitimize Israel, anti-Semitism and the growing Iranian influence in Latin America.
The meetings were called at the initiative of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein, who said, "Iran is strengthening its diplomatic and economic presence in Latin America, while exporting the Islamic revolution and disseminating radical Shi'ite Islam among its residents," a move he described as "both strategic and tactical".
He added, "In recent years, there has been an upsurge in anti-Semitism in several Latin American countries, which finds expression in verbal and physical assaults, and vandalism, that are perpetrated under the excuse of being directed against the State of Israel."