Rivlin to open Ynet and Yedioth's anti-BDS Conference
The president to speak at the international conference, taking place on March 28, which will focus on combating the movement. The event will be open to the public.
President Reuven Rivilin will open the Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet Conference on the Fight Against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction Movement (BDS), it was announced on Friday.
The conference take place on March 28 at the International Convention Center (Binyanei Hauma) in Jerusalem. The event is open to the public, and it is possible to register for the event by clicking on this link.
The international conference is part of the campaign the newspaper launched eight months ago to combat BDS. Yedioth Ahronoth published several articles under the headline "Fighting the Boycott," which feature interviews with the people on the front line in the fight against the boycott movement and those who are adversely affected by it, in depth investigations revealing the inner workings of the movement, and a useful guide for Israelis living outside of the country on how to combat and deal with BDS organizations.
The goal of the conference is to discuss the fight against BDS, and to give the attendees the tools with which to battle the movement in various ways, including: politically, economically, culturally, through the use of the law, and hasbara (public relations).
High ranking ministers, scientists, and key figures in the fields of diplomacy, academia, culture, and the economy and law from Israel and around the world will also speak at the conference, alongside journalists and analysts from Yedioth Ahronoth.
The conference will feature lectures, panel discussions, and workshops on different subjects affected by the fight against BDS. The various speakers will discuss what can be done in terms of fighting the boycott on its different fronts - including threat emanating from the European market, dealing with the movement on the campuses of prestigious universities in the US, fighting the pressure on artists not to perform in Israel, and even the fight against the de-legitimization of Israel in the halls of international justice at The Hague.
Those who have experienced first hand the academic, economic, and cultural boycott will speak about the dire implications of the movement - not only the personal implications, but the national implications as well. There will also be group discussions on various subjects, including determining where to draw the line between legitimate criticism of Israeli policy and questioning the legitimacy of the existence of Israel.
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Over the last decade, the BDS movement has been taking hold of politicians throughout the Western world, and has created serious issues for the State of Israel and its citizens. Protests against Israel are becoming more common at leading universities in the West, and it is not unlikely that the students who today scream against the "apartheid" and "genocide" which they allege Israel of committing will become key political and economic figures in the future.
The "silent boycott," which is being carried out by a host of leading academic institutions, threatens to close off Israel from the world of academia, and put a stop to cooperation in the field of scientific research. Europe's decision to label products produced beyond the Green Line is just one example of the economic and commercial boycott against Israel, which is beginning to tighten and strengthen. The cultural boycott, whose prime propagator is Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters, only serves to magnify the feeling of frustration from the movement.
Those involved in this fight warn that these are critical moments in the war on BDS. However, it is not too late to establish an organized, all-encompassing answer to the movement, using all the tools available. A worldwide call to arms must be issued, as the battle will be conducted at all levels: through quiet and overt diplomacy, harnessing countries with whom there is a strategic partnership with Israel, legislative initiatives in different countries, increasing hasbara efforts, and recruiting the Diaspora and other communities around the world, just to name a few. It is the hope that this conference will be the first shot in the war against the BDS movement, a war where there is no other option but to win.
The availability of seats at the conference is limited, therefore participation is dependent upon prior registration.
