Invitees shun antisemitism conference in Israel after European far right attends

Prominent advocates against antisemitism from around the world have pulled out of a conference in Israel tackling the issue, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.

The conference, which was organised by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, and described as "a shared dialogue on addressing contemporary antisemitism", has been itself termed "antisemitic" by some who were invited to attend.

Haaretz reported that the first reform rabbi to serve in the Israeli Knesset slammed the event, saying it "should not provide a kashrut certification to politicians from either the far right or the far left who represent parties that adopt antisemitic positions, whether publicly or privately, or anti-democratic positions, even if they express support for the policies of the Israeli government and the State of Israel".

The withdrawal of invited guests, such French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, senior representatives from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and even the chief rabbi of the UK, followed the inclusion of far-right European lawmakers and speakers, many of whom are linked to white supremacy and Nazism, and are vocally anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim, The National newspaper reported. 

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