King David Hotel
King David HotelAbir Sultan/Flash 90

Twenty-three parliamentarians from around the world will attend the eighth annual Chairman’s Conference of the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF) next week.

The conference, held in partnership with the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), will be held on March 20-22th in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. It is the largest political conference to take place in Israel since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Among the attending parliamentarians are the Minister of Technology from Uruguay, Senator Mizrahi from Colombia running in the May presidential election, US Republican congressman Doug Lamborn, Democratic Congressman and close ally of US President Joe Biden Juan Vargas, and MPs from Finland, Holland, Sweden, Romania, England, Wales, Kenya, Liberia, and others.

Many of these parliament members serve as Chairman of the Israel Allies Caucuses in their parliaments, advancing pro-Israel legislation. Israel Allies Caucuses worldwide focus on legislation against anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, and de-legitimization of Israel.

This year the Chairman’s Conference will focus on combatting anti-Semitism, the Iranian nuclear deal, construction in Jerusalem, and the situation in Ukraine.

The members of this delegation are scheduled to meet with influential Israeli politicians such as Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) (TBD), Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana (Yamina), MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud), Connstruction and Housing Minister Ze'ev Elkin (New Hope), Binyamin Regional Council Chairman Yisrael Ganz, Natan Sharansky, and more.

On Sunday, March 20, 2222, the members of parliament will tour Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and the City of David, continue to Psagot, and from there to Atarot. There, they will sign a declaration which reads, “We support the sovereign right of the State of Israel to build in its indivisible capital of Jerusalem.”

This is the largest international political delegation to come to Israel since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, a parliament member from Malawi will travel to Israel for her first time, announcing the opening date of the embassy in Jerusalem.

Among the prominent MPs who will attend this year's conference: Senator Edgar Mizrahi of Colombia, who intends to run for president in May; Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn, who is working to stop the funding given to the Palestinian Authority on the grounds that the funds are being transferred to terrorists; and Democratic Congressman Juan Vargas who is very close to Biden but opposes the Iran deal.

Also attending will be member of Parliament from Malawi Joyce Chitsulo to declare the date of the move of Malawi's embassy to Jerusalem; Uruguay's Minister of Technology Ruperto Long; Venezuelan lawmaker Lawrence Castro, an opposition man who opposes President Maduro and opposes Biden's request to buy fuel from the ruler and dictator of his generation; Member of Parliament from Finland, Peter Ostman, who is currently working on the adoption of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism in Finland, at a time when Putin is threatening Finland; and Romanian MP Ben Oni Ardelean who will talk about the situation on Romania's border with Ukraine.

In addition, EU Member of Parliament Bert-Jan Ruissen from the Netherlands, who will talk about the situation in Ukraine; and Member of Parliament for the United Kingdom Mark Pritchard who is the vice chair of the UK’s parliamentary group on Ukraine, will also attend the conference. There will also be additional MPs from Sweden, Guatemala, Slovakia, Honduras, the Czech Republic, Kenya, Liberia and more.

IAF President Josh Reinstein stated: "This year, the Jerusalem Chairman’s Conference will prepare legislators from all over the world to tackle rising anti-Semitism. While meeting with ministers and leading political figures in Israel, we will also focus on the war in Ukraine and strengthening our united capital of Jerusalem. We will continue to empower faith-based diplomacy and will use all the means at our disposal to fight anti-Semitism around the world."