For the first time ever, a delegation of dozens of members of parliament from around the world is set to gather in Jerusalem for the 5th annual Israel Allies Foundation Jerusalem Chairman’s Conference, this one to be held Oct. 19-21 at the Mamilla Hotel, and focusing its events on the liberation and unification of the holy city.
Participants will tour the city of Hebron; meet with Israeli government ministers and other leading characters in the Israeli political and financial arena; and celebrate with 5,000 Christian supports of Israel.
Ambassador Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, will address the group on Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, in the Pais Arena in Jerusalem.
During the upcoming Jewish holiday of Sukkot, 23 members of parliament from countries throughout Europe, Africa and Latin America will join Israeli officials in celebrating the unity of Jerusalem at the Israel Allies Foundation Jerusalem Chairman’s Conference. The MPs serve as Chairs and/or members of the Israel Allies Caucus in their local parliaments. They will meet with leading Israeli government representatives, including ministers.
In order to gain a better understanding about the history Jerusalem, the MPs will take a geopolitical tour of Jerusalem in which they will visit the Qalandia checkpoint, the lookout post at the Tomb of Samuel, Tel El Ful, and Mount Scopus, among other places.
A special panel will be held on issues related to the sites, hosted by Israeli Knesset members who serve as members in the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus.
This will be the first time that such a large and influential delegation of MPs tour Hebron, visiting the Cave of the Patriarchs, Hebron Museum in Beit Hadassah and the Tel Rumeida neighborhood.
Among those attending the conference is European Parliament member Bas Belder, who serves as the Chairman of the Israel Allies Caucus in the European Parliament. MEP Belder is also The Vice-Chairman of the delegation for the relations between the European Parliament and Israel.
Italian Senator Lucio Malan, who earlier this year passed a bill prohibiting Holocaust denial is also participating, as is MP Kees van der Staaij, who passed a bill in The Netherlands preventing the funding of BDS organizations; and MP Kenneth Meshoe from South Africa who strongly opposes the claim that Israel is an apartheid state.
There will also be MPs from the following countries at the conference: Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Greece, Portugal, Brazil, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Chile, and Malawi.
The Israel Allies Foundation (IAF) is an umbrella organization that coordinates the activities of 35 pro-Israel caucuses in parliaments throughout the U.S., Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Australia. The organization aims to promote communication and information sharing between parliamentarians and legislators around the world who share a belief that the State of Israel has the right to exist in peace, within secure borders.
The IAF Jerusalem Chairman’s Conference is sponsored by the World Jewish Congress and The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.
During the conference, the MPs will also present a signed resolution to Deputy Minister Michael Oren, stating their support for Jerusalem as the eternal and undivided capital of Israel. They will also make efforts to endorse this idea in their home countries upon their return, according to the Israel Allies Foundation.