The organizers of the Munich Security Conference, considered one of the most respected events held annually in the area of defense, have apparently decided this year to sideline Israel, Israel Hayom has learned, presumably because of the Gaza war.
The conference has traditionally had Israeli speakers placed in key panels and forums. This includes Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli defense ministers Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, and Moshe Ya'alon, all of whom were allowed to address the plenary. However, ahead of this year's conference, which will take place in two weeks, the organizers have to reject all of Israel's requests for key appearances at the conference.
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The request from Defense Minister Yoav Galant's office was rejected, essentially denying him the opportunity to speak to a large audience. Instead, Gallant was offered to participate as a panel speaker. The families of the hostages held in Gaza have also been rebuffed – their request to hold a special ceremony in honor of their loved ones in a large forum was refused. They were told they could hold an event on the sidelines, which means that there would be scant attendance and little media coverage.
It should be noted that the chairman of the Munich Security Conference is Christoph Heusgen, who served as chief foreign policy advisor under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. He has a very problematic record regarding Israel.
For example, he defended UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' after the latter said that "Hamas' massacre did not happen in a vacuum" and opposed Israel's Gaza campaign.
According to Heusgen, one should take into account "56 years of occupation." He also said that "a diplomatic solution must be reached. We have to prevent an outbreak, that is, an invasion of Israeli soldiers into the Gaza Strip. Israel should refrain from ground attack".
According to a report in the German Der Spiegel, when he served as Germany's Merkel's advisor he urged the Obama administration to end its policy of vetoing anti-Israel UN Security Council resolutions. The newspaper quoted documents saying he secretly met with State Department officials to put pressure on Netanyahu.
The Munich Security Conference is partly funded by the German government, although officially Berlin maintains a line of consistent support for Israel throughout the war. Israel Hayom has reached out to the organizers of the conference but it has yet to get a response.
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