Minister apologizes to European far-right leaders for conference controversy

Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli opens the Israeli government’s International Conference on Combating Antisemitism at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center with an apology to far-right European politicians for the controversy surrounding their participation in the event.

“First and foremost, I want to thank our friends and allies, especially our friends of the European Parliament, who have chosen to come to Israel during wartime,” Chikli says in his welcome address. “I apologize for the lies spread against you by those who slander the State of Israel worldwide. Thank you for being with us here in Jerusalem, Israel’s eternal capital. Gracias. Merci. Todah.”

Chikli accuses Israel’s left-wing Haaretz newspaper of generating the controversy around the inclusion of members of far-right parties from France, Spain, Sweden, and Hungary at the confab. Several high-profile figures withdrew from the confab last week due to those politicians’ inclusion.

He then discusses the threat of radical Islam, citing a University of Maryland report that over 90% of deadly attacks worldwide were committed by radical Islamists. He links radical Islam to historical antisemitism, saying that Hamas’s ideology is a continuation of Nazi racial doctrines, and criticizes Western leaders for not taking concrete actions against antisemitism.