Fellows from the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) presenting research findings and policy recommendations concerning the ongoing delegitimization and Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions (BDS) campaigns to the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, which maintains responsibility for these issues within the Israeli government.
The meeting took place at INSS on Thursday, October 26. During the session, participants reviewed a number of studies conducted in the framework of the Institute’s Program on Delegitimization and BDS. The discussion centered on the challenges posed by delegitimization campaigns to the state of Israel and to diaspora Jewry, and addressed possible responses on the part of Israel and its supporters operating within the country and around the world. The head of INSS, General (ret.) Amos Yadlin, emphasized that delegitimization ranks alongside the leading threats to Israel posed by Iranian weapons, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian arena. The Director General of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, Brigadier General (ret.) Sima Vaknin-Gill, conveyed a deep appreciation for the Institute’s work on these issues. She also expressed a desire to strengthen the professional ties between her ministry and INSS with a view to improving the campaign Israel and its partners are waging against those seeking to undermine Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state.