Danny Ayalon
Danny AyalonArchive

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon called for the formation of a united front to fight against the vilification of Israel worldwide. Ayalon spoke Thursday at the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI) conference on the issue of the de-legitimization of the State of Israel and the Jewish People.

In a panel discussion, DFM Ayalon stated that "The front line of our struggle in the international arena is the struggle against delegitimization of Israel. Enemies who have been unable to subjugate us militarily, economically or by terrorism are trying to do this with unfounded slander and delegitimization of Israel internationally.”  
 
“To this purpose, our enemies recruit so-called 'human-rights activists' as agents to vilify Israel around the world. In order to deal with this problem, an opposition network of Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, academic institutions, and NGOs must be formed, with the intention of establishing a united front against this de-legitimization, and detailing the situation in Israel as it really is."
 
Ayalon's words echo those of News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch last Wednesday, in a speech before the Anti-Defamation League. “My own perspective is simple,” the news magnate said: “We live in a world where there is an ongoing war against the Jews. For the first decades after Israel’s founding, this war was conventional in nature. The goal was straightforward: to use military force to overrun Israel. Well before the Berlin Wall came down, that approach had clearly failed.”
 
“Then came phase two: terrorism. Terrorists targeted Israelis both home and abroad – from the massacre of Israeli athletes at Munich to the second intifada. The terrorists continue to target Jews across the world. But they have not succeeded in bringing down the Israeli government – and they have not weakened Israeli resolve.”
 
“Now the war has entered a new phase. This is the soft war that seeks to isolate Israel by delegitimizing it. The battleground is everywhere: the media … multinational organizations … NGOs. In this war, the aim is to make Israel a pariah.”