Welcome everyone to this very special event. On the half of the president who cant you hear today they are definitely here in spirit. Want to thank you all for attending and would like to acknowledge our chief program officer. Thank you. Tonights event is a very special event with a very special guests as well. Under the auspices of the jewish diplomatic corps the Flagship Program of the World Jewish Congress and its young professionals. Many of those members here are part of that network and its diplomacy and Public Policy on the behalf on behalf of the World Jewish Congress but more broadly we are all passionate about presenting the causes of the jewish people and to speak up on behalf of the people who represent them. I am also a member of the j. B. Court myself. Tonights event is organized under the title of the antiisrael agenda and they will analyze the program and offer ways to combat these ugly initiatives. And we are very happy that we have a special guest here tonight. We have the leader of the opposition Richard Herzog terry thank you for being with us here today and we also welcome alex ryvchin who is a fellow friend from the jewish diplomatic corps and also author of the new book that we are introducing here today the antiisrael agenda inside the political war in the jewish state and alex will take the floor from here and i will introduce him first and give his bio and background. Alex ryvchin is born in kiev. He hails from australia produced a prominent speaker, writer media contributor on the arabisraeli conflict and he served as a spokesman for the sinus of the United Kingdom and currently the director of Public Affairs at the executive council his book brings together some of the finest minds devoted to the arabisraeli conflict and reveals how the conflict of israel has shifted and become both a global and local war fought mostly in the corridors of power, the media, on campuses and i personally experienced it as well and every form that touches our lives and theyll hand over the floor to alex to give his remarks. Think you all. Thank you very much. Thank you for that lovely introduction. It is a singular honor for me to be here in new york to launch my look at the auspices of the World Jewish Congress the helm of the diplomatic jewish people. To begin by thanking my beautiful wife vicki whos back in australia for allowing me to come here and launch this look with two Young Children so i think are tremendously. I also extend my deepest appreciation to the old people who contributed to this book but i thank them for their echoes them and their enthusiasm to which they responded to my call. I went to thank my friends and colleagues from the jewish diplomatic corps and everyone else who played a part in organizing this event and i would like to thank the council and Robert Singer of the jewish professional and i particularly would like to acknowledge and thank the ambassador for his vision, for his leadership his generosity for everything he does for the jewish people and where honored and fortunate to have a leader of such caliber that like to convey my deep appreciation to mk i curse off for helping me launch my book. He is the best of hisyearold. Not only does he carry the name but this is a selfless leader devoted to the people of israel and im delighted he could be here. This book brings together some of the finest minds in the israelipalestinian conflict and together we go chapter by chapter including the United Nations that trade unions the news media social media the church have been gradually appropriated and turned to constructive legitimate purpose. This book for the first time explores the breadth of the conflict with israel which seeks to do it through political means what warren tara could not but can no longer defend its interests or its people. In the two and half years that i worked on this vote the question that i fielded more than any other was why. Why with a demanding fulltime job in two Young Children, why did she feel compelled to do this and it was a perfectly obvious and legitimate question and seeking to answer it i could only think of a cross between the two towers on a highwire and when he completed his feet and was promptly arrested by nypd hoard of journalists gathered each demanding to know why, why did you do this . And he answered why . There is no fly. This is simply something yet to do and to me this is something i have to do. As a born in the soviet union having come from a place for us tonight basic rights were reset for institutional racism and for the most part suffered in silence. I was born a block away from i spent the first years of my life in kl. Ive lived on hollow ground and now free in the west free to defend the basic rights of our people how could we not do this . So what is the political war and hows that wage to whom and to what end . Are looks leyna that reference to the chapters in history that the war on which was on the screen a few moments ago. The first occurred just across town on the tenth of november 1975. To passage of the infamous resolution. Now two years before that resolution was yom kippur. We mark the 50th anniversary of the sixday war the great transformer to battle in the middle east but for the most part the sixday war changed very little. The underlying condition of rejection and basic legitimacy that through the regents were remained operative. Shortly after the conclusion of that war sudans league i would expect to codify the budget with israel with no recognition and no negotiations. The more things change in 1967 the more they remain the same. So much so that these years later israel was in 1973 b. The yom kippur war was a bruising grinding encounter which shattered any semblance of stability that arisen in those days of 1967 but crucially did it relinquish the territory captured in 1967. The lesson of the her war was a new aberration and what the. [speaking in arabic] loss and 67 could not be regained by force. This necessitating an air of engagement with israel. One is the choice by egypt and 78 and 79 negotiating the camp david accords with israel peace and recognition for the territory that was in 1967 and enshrined in the resolution 242. Extending peace to demand direct ignition in 1994 but for the palestinians the loss was a catastrophe and the recognition was a monumental trial. Now faced with the prospect of being relegated to a peripheral issue on Regional Affairs of palestinians went about trying to internationalize the conflict. Shortly after the young and poor war can be begin at which Yasser Arafat the plo was recognized as a representative of Palestinian People. Few months later the United Nations. The smart the entry of the palestinian world stage as an increasingly infected and coherent political asset agenda through all levels of government in every sector of Civil Society. What were the palace and seeking with this newfound diplomatic status . It was clear that they were seeking a seat at the table. Arabs arafat announced the world who entered for the widest gates and zionism will get out of this world. Sure to matter that the resolution which states the National Version movement of the jewish people to be a form of racism. The u. S. Representative to the u. N. Decries this as an assault on liberal Democratic Values that is given the appearance of International Legitimacy to antisemitism. The event that preceded really presented a blueprint or the political war in israel has been waged ever since. Dennis ross is a veteran negotiator in diplomatic diplomat other than seeking to uplift put their people or build institutions necessary for statehood the day after the flag goes up nothing changes. I have sympathy for this but it was not merely symbolic. It affected and continues to affect peoples lives. As an example 18 months after his past more british universities expelled their jewish societies on the basis of their zionists. The zionism resolution did not end with the General Assembly and it doesnt begin her either. It was first passed in an International Womens conference in mexico and of them meeting of the nations and when it came before the General Assembly the text of the resolution expressly refer to the Previous Party and had exhausted. It relies on momentum small creeping incremental steps that keep endless focus on the palestinian agenda. Endless opportunities to demonize itself. The next great the fork in 2001 the pharmacy equally notorious durban conference against racism held in south africa. The resolution should have the political war was taken to ramallah here in new york the u. N. And the campus in the newsroom in every form that touch their lives. If codify that battle plan. It presented a vision by which the loose International Lines dedicated to israels destruction for Different Reasons could be organized and sent out to Civil Society to turn the political war into a political campaign. Durbin was significant for demonstrating the immense power and influence of Nongovernmental Organization by Amnesty InternationalHuman Rights Watch and the extent to which they are nor publicly funded budget and partiality have been haunted by the movement. Durbin also ask their braids of the movement which was evidence by the placards and the circulating copies of the order of zion could be seen the legacy of zionism as racism when a prime march in chicago excludes jewish on the bases of zionism and the former white supremacist. I took one of the kuchar readers to this to deliver a lecture in my hometown of sydney. Within minutes of commencing to talk the lecture was stormed by activists with megaphone to shut it down. Allen johnson and another where the kuchar bridge the book suffered similar abuse and intimidation. We see the legacy of course at the durban conference and the way cuts and sanctions movement which has launched immediately after durban and subsequently rebranded in 2000 i is a palestinian Civil Society initiative in large part a Toxic Association with the urban conference. Receive the legacy of this when spain does boycott israel and probably declares itself free of israeli apartheid. Of the 60 councils and spain have adopted it. Receive the legacy of this when norways largest trade union with over 1 million members formally adopts policy and we see the legacy of this when the Mennonite Church last month boasts the joining the presbyterians and quakers in mainline churches. This is the political war in israel and unlike conventional warfare it has no end. It is often difficult to discern victory from defeat and it doesnt take place on the tatel field the way our children attend through the news data we choose to support in every form that touches our lives. My book does not tell a happy story indeed israel is waiting badly and many institutions but as golda meier said if have a lot of being pessimists. They can assert itself on the world stage and i believe in the jewish aspira israel has its people because its composed of organizations who understand the culture and the political dynamics of the countries in which we undertaken this is why the relationship between israel is absolutely critical. If this were to fray would be calamity. They focus on targeting the jewish youth which is why they generally exaggerate the number of jewish who support their extremist agenda and why they are trying to cause discord in jewish world. Equal disasters would be to begin with drying to those forms have become hostile to israel. For this reason we here call to withdraw rome collaboration sever ties with organizations and withdraw from the u. N. This in my view would be selfeffacing. These organization will retain their influence with or without us and without us any prospect of presenting a dissenting opinion in fact the opposite needs to happen. We need to increase engagement all levels used in russerts Financial Support coli worsened and i love her to lay with those organizations that are about to turn on israel. My friends i thank you again for being here this evening and for helping me launch this book. Its my belief it will not be complete until the jewish state is treated as equal among the nations and i hope this book sheds light on this unjust for the war in israel and some small way to securing the right of the jewish people to live freely and security in our land. Thank you. [applause] e thank you alex for your remarks. We hope that many people will read your book. We have a very special guest here tonight and we are honored he is here to speak to us. He is the leader of the israeli opposition a member of the knesset former chairman of the israeli labour party. A little about his background. His family has history of public service. Dont they have of the state of israel his father was the six term president and his grandfather was the chief rabbi of palestine. He is an attorney by for and in served as the government secretary and then was elected to the knesset in 2003 and has been a member of the labour party and has been serving since. During his political career he served many roles in multiple governments such as minister of housing and construction minister tourism before he was appointed the minister of social services as well as minister of the jewish diaspora in the fight against antisemitism and minister of welfare and culture services. Hes had a multifaceted career and this very arena. In 2013 he became elected leader of the labour party and leader of the opposition which he has been since. Mr. Herzog we are very pleased to have you. Its a great honor and we are looking forward to hearing your remarks. Think you. Thank you everybody and first i would like to say thanks to our host at the World Jewish Congress and i greatly respect one of the great jewish leaders of our times. I want to thank the World Jewish Congress. Express might read it to to your leadership and im very honored honored is with us but i read the book, alex. I think its an excellent book. It can size is the exact picture of the battleground that we are talking about. Theres some terms which you use which i will try fight you on later on does you have to differentiate between object thing to the just cause of the creation of the state of israel and a legitimate political debate paid in half legitimate political arguments in the international community. That is more than a custom. We know that but you cannot disagree with the mere existence of the state of the jewish people. What we have seen is a threat going throughout the generations and you know theres a saying in judaism. Every generation stands in the battlegrounds of first let a start with how we can combat this. We can combat this first and foremost by having a very strong jewish organized effort and here i refer to winston churchill. 19 a weight when churchill entered politics in manchester he had the jewish constituency a large jewish consistency constituency in the right city was extremely impressed by jewish corporate life. This actually an intrigued him how Jewish Society takes care of peoples lives from childhood until death and how the communities are organized and if you think about it correctly this is the role of the jewish people to unite and Work Together to combat outside. In fact this is an outside threat which has awarded new suit for a new outlets that cover. In the 70s it was racism and zionism and before that it was the dash equation on the state of israel but its all the same throughout history soap or so they say a word about the famous battle which you have seen here in the movie and perceiving our speech. My late father had an incredible career. He was worn in ireland. My late grandfather was at that time chief rabbi of ireland and the irish free state and then he became chief rabbi of palestine. My other came to palestine in the 30s and then went to study law in cambridge and ucl. And he joined the british army when the war started after a battle on britain and he joined the army not knowing that throughout his term in the british army he would participate in normandy, in the battle of the rhine, racing bergenbelsen or occupying person belgian finishing the war as a commander in germany and one of the occupiers of and then going back to palestine and in joining the army going all the way up to the ranks of general and the founder the Israeli Military intelligence. All of his life and all of his experiences in that battleground which we have seen on the tenth of november 1975. Field inning of his speech started by something which was told to my father by a famous jewish leader at the time. He was the leader of the u. Ja. He was a survivor and one of the first british officers to enter bergenbelsen and he told my dad he should remember. Thats how that part of the speech started with the battle towards this each lasted or over a decade. Arab state in an anticommunist bloc together with the National Movement which charred and 60s , they decided the way to contain an undefined israel would you by turning zionism and racism because that had an effect wherever it may be not only in websters dictionary but in everything to do with the International Convention and laws within states. It bore fruit in 19752 years after the yom kippur war after the onslaught of arabs face the commonest rock at the time. The end of the speech the tearing of the resolution which had created i would say a wave of electrifying the Internationa