(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson)
The Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism (GFCA) will convene its international conference on December 16-17, 2009.
Over 500 delegates from over 50 countries - among them high representatives from around the world, including statesmen, members of parliament, diplomats, journalists, legal experts, NGO representatives, and leading academic figures - are expected to attend, along with senior leaders of Jewish communities and organizations world-wide.
This year's conference is the third GFCA conference, following the February 2007 and February 2008 conferences. It is being held under the chairmanship of Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Avigdor Liberman, and the Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, Yuli Edelstein. The delegates will discuss the current manifestation of Antisemitism around the world, with an emphasis on the relationship between this manifestation and the de-legitimization of Israel.
The conference will open on Wednesday 16 December, with a special opening session co-chaired by Ministers Liberman and Edelstein, and with the participation of the Foreign Minister of Lithuania, the Canadian Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and the minister responsible for human rights in the Czech Republic. In addition, Mr. Abraham Foxman, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation League and Prof. Yehuda Bauer will address the audience.
A special session, hosted by Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, will be held at the Knesset. At the session, Knesset Speaker Rivlin, FM Liberman and Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Edelstein will award certificates of appreciation to five members of the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism (ICCA) as well as to Lord Greville Janner in honor of his life's work.