World leaders, heads of state, and other dignitaries are coming to the Jewish state to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz and commit to battle anti-Semitism in the 21st century.
By Aryeh Savir, TPS
On Tuesday, Israel began the process of welcoming the 47 delegations of heads of state and royals, including US Vice President Mike Pence, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Spain’s King Felipe VI and the UK’s Prince Charles, who are convening in Jerusalem this week to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and to discuss the war on global anti-Semitism.
In total, 26 presidents, four kings (Holland, Belgium, Spain and Luxembourg) and four prime ministers will attend the event, Times of Israel reported.
The international event, the largest in Israel’s history, will culminate on Thursday at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial with the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, titled “Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism.”
On Tuesday, Australia’s Governor General David Hurley was the first to arrive, followed by Georgia’s President Salome Zourabishvili, Vladimir Andreichenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, Latvia Speaker of the SaeimaInara Murniece, Romania’s President Klaus Werner Iohannis, Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev, Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Iceland’s President Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s President Željko Komšić, Monaco’s Minister of State Serge Telle, North Macedonia’s President Prof. Dr. Stevo Pendarovski, and French President Emanuel Macron.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement welcoming the leaders from around the world.
“It is important that they remember where we came from, and it is important that they see what we have achieved,” he said in a recorded message.
President Reuven Rivlin began a series of bilateral meetings with the world leaders visiting Jerusalem.
To Australia’s Harley, Rivlin said that Israel remembers “the important contribution of Australia to the Allied forces. Australia became a home to thousands of Holocaust survivors, and a big Jewish community. Israel and Australia share values and a deep partnership.”
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein hosted Bulgarian President Radev and Belarusian House of Representatives Chairman Andreichenko.
Edelstein is slated to meet other leaders, including the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Several segments of the capital and main routes leading to it have been shut down to facilitate the event and thousands of police and security personnel have been deployed to secure it.
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