President Isaac Herzog today, Wednesday, addressed a conference of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem. The conference was hosted by Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, and was attended by ministers, ambassadors, officials, academics, and community leaders from IHRA member countries.
Noting that the day marked 600 days since the October 7 massacre, since when the hostages have been held in Gaza, the President stressed: “Today marks over 600 days since the horrific massacre of October 7. Even as we gather here, the first and foremost victims of hatred remain out there in Gaza, held in Hamas dungeons—a horrific crime against humanity. We cannot be silent while this crime continues. I call upon every person here to keep raising their voices until every single one of the hostages is back home.”
He told the delegates, “I want to recommend to the international community one simple idea: we are dealing with a genocidal, jihadist organization, part of the Islamic Jihad proxies emanating from Tehran and its leadership. I suggest to the international community: sometimes our enemies interpret debates or arguments between colleagues or like-minded states as a weakness of Israel. When they see criticism—even from states like Canada, Australia, Britain, or France—they sometimes immediately hail that criticism, without understanding that we all share the same vision: combating terror, combating antisemitism, and demanding the immediate release of our hostages. I suggest the international community show a united front, saying first and foremost: get the Israeli hostages out.”
Stressing Israel’s ongoing efforts to ensure the delivery of aid to the civilians in Gaza, the President said, “I want to make it clear: we in Israel care. We care about the pain and agony also experienced by the civilian population—our Palestinian neighbors. But I recommend you look at the facts again. Four hundred trucks full of food are currently sitting on the Gaza side of the border because the United Nations is refusing to distribute them. I urge the international community to adamantly demand that this aid be distributed immediately to the people in Gaza.”
Speaking of the importance of tackling global antisemitism, the President said: “This season of grief compels us not only to remember the lessons of the past, but also to recommit to the values that categorically reject hatred and antisemitism. Antisemitism, as I have said, is a poison that ravages what is best in our human societies and empowers what is worst. That is why fighting antisemitism is the responsibility of every nation that values human dignity, liberty, justice, and tolerance.”
He added, “You are here in Israel, in Jerusalem, and that is symbolic. Since October 7—the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust—antisemitism has come charging forward in the streets and cities around the world, on college campuses, and online. It may sometimes masquerade as anti-Israel or anti-Zionist sentiment, but it is antisemitism just the same. Nearly every day, there is news of assaults, threats, and vandalism against Jews and Jewish institutions in Europe, North America, and beyond. As we stand at this crossroads, we must translate our sacred vow of “Never Again” into action and use every tool at our disposal to fight for the safety of our communities and the wholeness of our human society. I always reiterate: it starts with the Jews, but it never ends with them. Today, we must call out antisemitism clearly. Denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their own sovereign nation-state is antisemitism, pure and simple. History has taught us that when a fanatic regime calls for genocide against the Jews, it must be taken seriously. The antisemitic Iranian regime must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons capability, and its worldwide terror networks and proxies must be dismantled.”
He concluded, “The battle is long, and the days are dark, but we must hold fast to the principles that define us and allow them to guide us forward toward a world of justice, tolerance, and peace.”
