Bernie News Network (BNN) attended the Second International Conference on Combating Antisemitism
By Sammy,
Bernie News Network (BNN) attended the Second International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem, meeting with senior government officials and international leaders as Israel's leadership warned that the global surge in antisemitism poses a direct threat not only to Jews, but to democratic civilization itself.
Speaking at the opening gala, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said antisemitism is fundamentally different from other forms of hatred. "Racism has existed throughout history. That's not what antisemitism is," Netanyahu said. "Antisemitism began as a creed 2,500 years ago, 500 years before the birth of Christianity, with an ideological attack against the Jews that kept on metamorphosing over centuries."
Netanyahu warned that antisemitism has surged globally since October 7. "The disease spread again, the virus spread throughout the world," he said, arguing that radical Islamist movements and extreme anti-Western ideologies have converged around hostility toward Jews and Israel. "They agree on one thing: World War Jew, to conduct a world war, first against the Jews and against the Jewish state."
The prime minister also addressed the return of the body of Ran Gvili, the final Israeli hostage held in Gaza. "We said we'd bring him back," Netanyahu said. "He was the first to come in, and he was the last to leave. A hero of Israel. Rani is back. There are no more hostages in Gaza." He described the development as "a tremendous achievement for our heroic forces, our soldiers, and our commanders."
Turning to Jewish communities abroad, Netanyahu urged resilience and defiance in the face of intimidation. "Don't be afraid. Don't cower. Speak up. Stand up. Fight back," he said. "If we fight, we win."
Netanyahu welcomed several foreign dignitaries in attendance, including former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Argentine Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona, and US antisemitism envoy Leo Terrell.
President Isaac Herzog addressed the conference the following day on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking 81 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. "The Holocaust was the single greatest catastrophe in the history of humanity and in the history of our people," Herzog said, warning that the moral lessons of that era are being eroded.
Herzog said contemporary antisemitism has taken new forms but remains rooted in the same hatred. "The same ancient poison has always carried the same name, antisemitism," he said. "Let us call it what it is." He added, "To deny the Jewish people, and only the Jewish people, the right to self-determination in their national home is antisemitism."
Referencing the return of Ran Gvili, Herzog said the moment marked a historic turning point. "For the first time since 2014, not a single Israeli citizen, living or dead, is being held as a human bargaining chip in Gaza," he said.
The conference, organized by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs at the initiative of Amichai Chikli, brought together leaders from across the world, including Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. Both Israeli leaders concluded with calls for clear and decisive action, stressing that confronting antisemitism requires resolve, consistency, and the willingness to act, not silence.
Topics: Gaza, IDF, Israeli Politics
Reported by Sammy for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.