Pro-Israel activists convened at the UN’s main hall to show their support for the Jewish state and learn how to combat the anti-Israel BDS movement.
Over 2,000 pro-Israel activists, including representatives of organizations, diplomats and students, filled the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Hall on Wednesday to speak out against the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement.
This is the second time a significant anti-BDS show of support for Israel took place at the UN.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, who convened the summit, opened the event by declaring, “The halls of the UN are now being infiltrated by the boycott movement. The UN’s Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is creating a blacklist of companies and corporations operating in parts of Israel. This is pure anti-Semitism, and together with the US, our greatest ally, we will keep fighting until BDS is eliminated.”
“The effort to delegitimize the State of Israel being waged on college campuses and the anti-Israel obsession at the UN are one and the same. They both seek to deny Israel’s right to exist. They are both efforts to intimidate her friends and embolden her enemies. They are both extensions of an ancient hatred,” stated US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, the key speaker at the event.
“And how tragic is it that of all the countries in the world to condemn for human rights violations, these voices choose to single out Israel. Iran, Syria, North Korea and other barbaric regimes are excused by the BDS movement. It makes no sense. And it has no connection to any reasonable definition of justice,” Haley added.
Haley was the first US governor to sign anti-BDS legislation into law. Since assuming her post as ambassador, she has strongly denounced the UN’s bias against the Jewish state and expressed unequivocal support for Israel.
Discussions Focused on Three Major Issues
Conference participants attended three panel discussions focusing on the major issues at the heart of the fight against BDS: social and digital media, academic campuses around the world, and the private and business sectors. The panels featured internationally renowned experts in their respective fields as well as representatives with firsthand experience in confronting the challenges of BDS.
Summing up the event, Danon stated, “We are here today with a simple message for those who seek to harm the Jewish state and the Jewish people. We will keep fighting until we eliminate BDS completely, from the campuses to the UN, and we will keep fighting until anti-Semitism is finally defeated.”
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel