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Far-right Europeans invited to Israel's antisemitism conference, causing boycott

Jewish communities in Europe are furious over Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli's inviting far-right European politicians to an antisemitism conference in Jerusalem.

Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism of the State of Israel Amichai Chikli delivers a speech during the symposium on fighting antisemitism on Jan. 22, 2024, in Krakow, Poland.
Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism of the State of Israel Amichai Chikli delivers a speech during the symposium on fighting antisemitism on Jan. 22, 2024, in Krakow, Poland. — Omar Marques/Getty Images

PARIS — Several global Jewish leaders have cancelled their participation in the March 26-27 Jerusalem conference on combating antisemitism after learning that the Israeli diaspora affairs ministry organizing the event also invited far-right European figures to participate.

Jordan Bardella, head of the French far-right National Rally party; far-right European Parliament member Marion Marechal, who is also the niece of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen; and Hermann Tertsch of Spain's far-right Vox party and European Parliament member confirmed their attendance. Charlie Andreas Weimers of the Sweden Democrats, a nationalist party whose founders were active in neo-Nazi organizations, is also set to attend, while Argentinian President Javier Milei, after initially accepting, canceled his attendance, citing domestic political issues.

All were invited by Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli to participate in the conference. The diaspora ministry, charged with fostering ties between the State of Israel and the Jewish diaspora, including by combating antisemitism outside Israel, did not publish the full list of people invited.

Cancellations abound 

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