NEW YORK - The World Jewish Congress and Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations will co-host a special conference on the delegitimization of Israel, at the UN headquarters in New York on March 29. The annual Ambassadors Against BDS summit will bring together more than 2,000 students, dignitaries, public officials, diplomats and opinion makers. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who was the first US governor to sign into law anti-BDS legislation, will address the conference participants at the opening plenary session in the General Assembly Hall.
The summit will be streamed live on the United Nations website.
World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said: “In the UN, international institutions, and academic forums, we are witnessing a dangerous form of anti-Semitism in the attempts to delegitimize Israel and deny the Jewish people their right to security and sovereignty. The BDS movement does not seek peace, it seeks the destruction of the State of Israel.”
"This is undeniably anti-Semitic and it must never become acceptable. We must stand up for what is right and expose BDS for the fraud that it is. We cannot fight anti-Semitism and the delegitimization of Israel alone,” Lauder added. “We must work together to spread the truth and to make sure that the world knows: this is not just a Jewish problem, it is a problem that concerns us all.”
Noted officials set to address the summit include Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Danny Danon, Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky.
Ambassador Danny Danon said of the conference: "This is a new era at the UN in which we are voicing a clear call in support of Israel. We will gather in the General Assembly Hall and stand against the attempts by the BDS movement to infiltrate the UN and harm Israel.”
"This gathering is on the frontlines of our battle against the global BDS movement. Israel has countless supporters who work tirelessly against these forces of darkness. Now is the time for us all to come together as a united front as we face this challenge," Danon added.
Following the plenary session, conference participants will have a choice between two panel discussions focusing on the major issues at the heart of the fight against BDS, the first on social and digital media, and the second on campuses around the world. The closing panel, on fighting BDS in the public sector, will be moderated by WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer. All of the panels will feature international renowned experts in their respective fields, as well as representatives with firsthand experience in fighting BDS and its challenges.