Report: Herzog distances himself from controversial Israeli antisemitism conference

President Isaac Herzog is the latest high-profile figure to distance himself from Israel’s upcoming conference on combating antisemitism over the inclusion of far-right European politicians, Ynet reports.

The website quotes officials in Herzog’s office as saying, “The president will not take part.”

However, Herzog’s office denies he is boycotting the conference, saying that he was never scheduled to directly take part.

Herzog will host Jewish leaders alongside the conference, but he was never appearing at the conference on Thursday, his office says.

The report comes a day after Herzog offered a compromise to try and salvage the meeting: a private meeting with world Jewish leaders at his home the night before the main event, without those controversial figures.

Among those who have canceled are Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, UK government adviser on antisemitism Lord John Mann, veteran academic and activist David Hirsh, German antisemitism czar Felix Klein, and German politician Volker Beck.

The conference guest list includes controversial European right-wing politicians Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right French National Rally party founded by noted antisemite and Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen; Marion Marechal, a far-right French member of the European Parliament and Le Pen’s granddaughter; Hermann Tertsch, a far-right Spanish member of the European Parliament; Charlie Weimers of the far-right Sweden Democrats party; and Kinga Gál, of Hungary’s Fidesz party.

Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, who organized the conference, has said that he sees Europe’s far-right parties as allies countering the rise of Muslim fundamentalism and antisemitism on the continent.