​B’nai B’rith International denounces U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein’s unjustly threatening tactics against an array of Israeli and foreign companies. Zeid reportedly sent letters to 150 businesses saying they could be added to a blacklist for doing business in disputed territories controlled by Israel.
 
The blacklist, initiated by the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC), grossly discriminates against the world’s only Jewish state and the only democratic nation in the Middle East, furthering the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, whose agenda merely deepens conflict and also negatively effects Palestinians employed or served by the companies targeted. Such discriminatory, hostile efforts yet again demonstrate the bias Israel faces at the United Nations.
 
On Monday, a B’nai B’rith International representative in Geneva, Anita Winter, addressed the UNHRC on this issue; click below to watch her remarks. 

B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith International’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva Klaus Netter spoke before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) addressing the global rise of anti-Semitism and neo-Nazi protests.
 
He can watch his remarks below. You can also read his speech in its entirety below.
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“Mr. Vice President,
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We were deeply disturbed by the hate rally last month in Charlottesville, Virginia. The United States is a nation whose proud history includes the sacrifice of thousands of patriotic soldiers who lost their lives in order to end the reign of fascism in Europe. The appalling spectacle of a gathering in an American city that featured Nazi flags, Nazi salutes and marchers barking anti-Semitic and racist slogans was worthy of unambiguous condemnation.
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We thank those who have spoken out about this event. We hope that it can open this council’s eyes to the alarming persistence of anti-Semitism in many regions, though particularly in the Middle East. Indeed, in order for the council to have credibility in addressing ant-Semitism, there must be an awakening to the demonization and discrimination that are systematic to this body itself, which has singled out the world's only Jewish state for unique scrutiny targeting only one side of one conflict that is rooted in denial of the very history and basic rights of the Jewish people to their homeland.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President.”

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith International deplores the action taken by Interpol, the international police organization, for conferring legitimacy on “Palestine” as a full member. The vote took place earlier today in Beijing at Interpol’s general assembly. The international organization, which is based in Lyon, France, now has 192 countries as members.
 
This is yet another example of the Palestinians seeking to gain international legitimacy while circumventing negotiations with Israel. Such action today by Interpol serves to encourage Palestinian rejectionism, and is only inimical to prospects for peace.
 
Given the lengthy history of Palestinian acts of terror and the official glorification of acts of terror by the Palestinian Authority, Interpol’s vote is more than shameful.

B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith International is pleased that the Senate has decided not to vote on the Cassidy-Graham health care bill. We encourage Congress to hold bipartisan meetings, like those that were taking place in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee that sought to stabilize the insurance market.
 
We ask Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) to restart bipartisan negotiations to make health insurance stronger for older Americans.
 
In the Cassidy-Graham health care bill, low-income people would not have been guaranteed financial assistance for health care costs as now required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This would have had disastrous consequences for older adults already surviving on very limited means who can’t afford an increase in their monthly financial obligations.
   
This bill planned to convert traditional Medicaid into a per capita cap, which would have put undue financial burdens on state budgets, which in turn could have impacted low-income seniors who rely heavily on Medicaid. For example, nursing facilities and community based services which help countless seniors, could have been negatively impacted by the potential decrease in federal funding. B’nai B’rith strongly believes any legislation that passes Congress should protect people with pre-existing conditions and essential health care benefits.
 
Any health care reform legislation should be done through regular order where committee members can speak with experts in the field and find solutions to health care matters. Any future attempts by Congress to rush legislation of this magnitude will result in disastrous consequences—millions of Americans could lose their health insurance. Also, Congress should not pass a health care bill without a full Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score that provides a complete critical analysis of insurance coverage and premiums. 

B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith International is outraged over the murders of an Israeli police officer and two security guards that occurred at a settlement checkpoint near Jerusalem earlier today. The Palestinian terrorist, Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Jamal, was killed at the scene.
 
For many decades, generations of Palestinians have been raised on a steady diet of hate, which feeds the terror targeting Israel. The twin evils of incitement and terrorism have once again shown that Israel does not have a credible partner for peace. Already, Fatah, which is tied to the Palestinian Authority, has praised the terrorist act, calling it “a morning scented with the fragrance of the Martyrs.”
 
B’nai B’rith stands in solidarity with the people of Israel. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

“These meetings are a vital way to further strengthen key friendships while also holding all U.N. member nations accountable for how they treat Israel. The world body has long had two sets of rules: one governing how Israel is treated and the other applying to all other nations. This two-tiered system is unfair and unjust and must stop,” Saltzman said.
 
“We coordinate these meetings, in various cases on behalf of a broad coalition of major Jewish agencies, to make our views known, to speak out adamantly and forcefully in defense of the fundamental rights and interests of the Jewish people. On the sidelines of the General Assembly, these interactions provide a quiet setting to address some of the most pressing issues faced by our community and its friends,” Mariaschin said.
  
Engaging with world leaders is imperative to combating the anti-Israel animus that has become pervasive at the United Nations. B’nai B’rith, active at the U.N. since the world body was founded, is committed to holding the U.N. accountable to its essential founding values and aspirations.
 
In addition to Saltzman and Mariaschin, the B’nai B’rith delegation includes: Peter Perlman, chairman of the executive; Sheila Mostyn, senior vice president; Charles Kaufman, chairman of the B’nai B’rith International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy; Ira Bartfield, B’nai B’rith Center for Jewish Identity chair; Eduard Redensky, member of the Executive Board of Directors and B’nai B’rith Young Leadership chairman; Stephen Stern, member of the Executive Board of Directors; Michael Nachman, chairman of the Council on U.N. Affairs; Dr. Steven Horowitz, member of the Executive Board of Directors; Dr. Sandra Horowitz, member of the International Council of B’nai B’rith; Larry Magid, International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy board member; and Millie Magid, International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy board member. In addition, a number of students and staff from the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity (AEPi), a B’nai B’rith partner, were included in select advocacy appointments.
 
B’nai B’rith International Director of U.N. and Intercommunal Affairs David Michaels and Program Officer for U.N. Affairs Oren Drori are coordinating the meetings, which continue this week.

​B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith International commends Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s historic visit to Argentina. Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to visit the country, where he stopped at the Israeli embassy, the site of the 1994 Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) building bombing and met with Jewish leaders and other Latin America government officials, including Argentine President Mauricio Macri.
 
The Israeli and Argentine leaders have demonstrated a solid partnership, with economic and technological agreements signed by both, as well as making joint forceful public statements against terrorism.
 
The Argentine government delivered to Israel more than 100,000 documents and digital images that show the role Argentina played in the Holocaust. This was a remarkable addition to the public record of the atrocities of the Holocaust as well as a demonstration that Argentina wants to confront the dark years of its past at the time of the Nazi and post-Nazi era.
 
In 1992 and 1994, Argentina suffered two horrific terrorist attacks. To this day, no one has been brought to justice for either. Netanyahu’s visit has marked a difference in the long process of impunity about these unresolved bombings. During a speech on terrorism, Netanyahu said, “We are determined to fight Iran’s terrorism, and we are determined to prevent it from establishing itself near our border. It was Iran who in the 1990s was behind the major terrorist attacks in Buenos Aires. Iran’s terrorist octopus, from the Middle East, along with its proxy Hezbollah, continues to send arms to all parts of the world, and also to Latin America.”
 
For the Argentine-Jewish community, Netanyahu’s visit is deeply significant. The tribute at the AMIA building and the site where the Israeli Embassy was destroyed were very important messages to Jewish communities around the world about their connections to Israel.
 
During his visit, Netanyahu delivered a speech in front of 500 Jewish leaders and thanked Macri for continuing the AMIA investigation and for fighting against all forms of terrorism and discrimination. B'nai B'rith Argentina President David Petliuk and B’nai B’rith International Director of Latin American Affairs Eduardo Kohn attended the event. Petliuk and Kohn met with Israeli Ambassador to Argentina Ilan Sztulman, Argentine Secretary of Human Rights Claudio Avruj and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Latin America Director Modi Ephraim.
 
This visit is demonstrating Israel’s commitment to the Jewish community in Latin America. We are hopeful that the countries of Latin America will reverse its United Nations voting record, and gain a better understanding of the conflict in the Middle East.  

B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith International strongly opposes the Palestinian Authority’s campaign to become a member state of the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). It is expected that the UNWTO will consider the Palestinian bid later this week.
 
The Palestinians must not be allowed to upend the international order, and enjoy treatment not afforded any other group, by being admitted to international organizations as a “state” before they have actually earned that status. Such admittance only encourages the Palestinians to continue rejecting the direct negotiations and meaningful compromise with Israel that would provide for the fundamental needs of both sides.
 
Premature admittance of the Palestinians would devastate the standing of the UNWTO itself. The Palestinians also have a consistent record of derailing U.N. bodies with inflammatory political resolutions against the Jewish state. This is precisely what happened upon the admission of “Palestine” to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2011.
 
Only when the Palestinians finally accept the legitimacy of Israel’s existence as a democratic Jewish state—and agree to genuinely live alongside it in peace—can they enjoy the benefits of responsible membership in the international community.
 

B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith International is opening its Disaster Relief Fund as Hurricane Irma gains strength. The hurricane started as a tropical storm in the mid-Atlantic and quickly rose to hurricane status.
 
Hurricane Irma has battered the Caribbean Islands, killing at least 10, and Puerto Rico, where thousands of people are without power. Currently, the storm is off the coast of the Dominican Republic.
 
Thousands of buildings on the islands of Antigua and Barbuda have been damaged or destroyed.
 
The Category Five storm, with winds up to 180 mph, is expected to make landfall in Florida by this weekend. Gov. Rick Scott has already ordered mandatory evacuations for counties that are projected to receive the most damage. The path of the storm is still being determined, but it is now being projected to travel across Florida and up into Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. 


We will monitor and assess the needs of those in Florida and other impacted areas.
 
B’nai B’rith has a tradition of helping communities in distress, which began in 1865 in pre-state Israel when we raised funds to aid victims of a cholera outbreak. Since then, B’nai B’rith has helped countless people across the globe who have faced adversity after natural and man-made disasters.  
 
In anticipation of this catastrophic natural disaster we ask for your help.
 
Donate online to our Hurricane Irma Disaster Relief Fund at our secure website by clicking here.
 
You can also call 800-573-9057 to make a credit card contribution over the phone. Or, you can send a check payable to the B’nai B’rith Disaster Relief Fund to:
 
​B’nai B’rith International
Disaster Relief Fund
1120 20th Street NW, Suite 300N
Washington, D.C. 20036