ICEJ LEADERS ATTEND GLOBAL CONFERENCE FOR ISRAEL

Jani Salokangas and Vivienne Myburgh, ICEJ national directors for Finland and South Africa respectively, attended a recent gathering of pro-Israel activists hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem. The Global Coalition for Israel conference (GC4I) drew Jewish and Christian participants from more than 30 countries, representing 160 institutions, think tanks and organisations that support the Jewish state. Featured speakers included several Israeli cabinet ministers, MFA director general Ronen Levi, and American Jewish leader Malcolm Hoenlein. The conference covered Israel’s current domestic and foreign policy challenges, such as the looming Iranian threat, the judicial reforms debate, and regional changes produced by the Abraham Accords. MFA official Oded Joseph noted that trade between Israel and its regional peace partners nearly doubled last year, with 7,000 Israeli companies now cooperating with counterparts in the United Arab Emirates alone. Still, Israel and Jews remain targets of antisemitism worldwide, and the conference sought ways to enhance joint efforts to counteract these hateful campaigns.