Twenty-five Parliamentarians from around the world, including the Foreign Minister of Venezuela and Population Minister of Estonia, will gather next week on December 8-10th at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Jerusalem for the Israel Allies Foundation’s annual Chairman’s Conference. The President-elect of Guatemala will also attend as part of his first official visit to Israel.
Legislators actively combating the delegitimization of Israel will also participate in the conference next week, including U.S. State Representative Alan Clemmons from South Carolina who authored the first anti-BDS legislation in the United States and was active in helping it get passed in 28 states, together with MP Joel Voordewind from the Netherlands, who was first to oppose the EU’s recent labeling law against Jewish products.
Many of these parliament members serve as Chairman of the Israel Allies Caucuses in their parliaments, advancing pro-Israel legislation combating anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. This year’s Conference will focus on the response to the EU court’s demand that Jewish products from the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria be labeled with their origin.
The members of this delegation are scheduled to meet with the influential Israeli politicians including Minister of Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan, MK Benny Gantz, Gidon Saar, Yair Lapid, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and Shomron Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan. They will tour Judea and Samaria and visit the Barkan Industrial Park where they will meet with family members of terror victims killed in the attack in Barkan over a year ago. The family members hope to encourage these parliament members to ensure that their governments are not involved in funding terror. The touring will conclude in Psagot Winery, highlighting how the recent EU judgment mandating the labeling of wines produced in Psagot will not deter these parliamentarians from supporting Israel’s right to exist in their native homeland.
"This year’s Chairmen’s Conference will focus on preparing our Chairmen from governments worldwide to fight and eradicate the scourge of BDS,” IAF President Josh Reinstein commented. “Through Faith-based diplomacy we are tackling politically based Anti-Semitism like the European Court of Justice’s ruling allowing the EU to once again label Jewish produced goods in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and the Golan Heights. Our Chairman’s Conference provides these legislators the opportunity to learn the facts on the ground first hand and return to their parliaments equipped to address these Anti-Semitic actions.”