NEW YORK (Press Release)— Senior officials of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) held a flurry of diplomatic meetings with world leaders on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly’s high-level week in New York. The UN session, an annual occurrence, coincided this year with the observance of Rosh Hashanah, limiting available time for encounters. Despite the challenge, WJC secured a series of critical meetings — including with French President Emmanuel Macron, who joined WJC President Ronald S. Lauder to share apples and honey in honor of the Jewish New Year.
Bilateral meetings between WJC and national delegations led by WJC President Ronald S. Lauder and/or WJC Governing Board Chair Chella Safra included:
Emmanuel Macron — President of the French Republic
Karol Nawrocki — President of the Republic of Poland
Petr Pavel — President of the Czech Republic
Magnus Brunner — European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration
Nikos Christodoulides — President of the Republic of Cyprus
Kyriakos Mitsotakis — Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic
Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani — Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain
José Manuel Albares — Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation
Vivian Balakrishnan – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
Lauder also intends to meet with Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul for Shabbat dinner ahead of the minister’s return home.
Throughout the meetings, WJC officials and professional staff emphasized five top priorities central to Jewish security and global stability:
–Immediate Release of Hostages | WJC stressed that the unconditional release of the 48 hostages held in Gaza remains the foremost priority. Governments were urged to apply every possible diplomatic and political lever against Hamas until each hostage is safely returned
–Combating Antisemitism | Against the backdrop of record levels of antisemitism in Europe and alarming spikes worldwide, WJC urged governments to intensify their counter-antisemitism efforts, including through security support, education initiatives, and regulation of online hate
–Hamas Designation and the “Day After” | WJC pressed for Hamas to be recognized in its entirety as a terrorist organization, both at the United Nations and by all governments. WJC officials also underlined that Hamas must have no role in discussions concerning Gaza’s future governance and be disarmed
–Responsible Rhetoric on Israel | WJC explained that uninformed statements about Israel and the conflict reverberate far beyond the Middle East, directly affecting Jewish communities worldwide. Leaders were urged to exercise care and responsibility in their public remarks
–Palestinian Statehood | WJC reiterated its longstanding policy in support of an eventual two-state solution, while stressing that recognition of Palestinian statehood must come through negotiations between both parties, not unilateral measures. WJC further emphasized that commitments must be upheld, including an end to “pay-for-slay” policies, meaningful reforms, and guarantees that Hamas will disarm and play no role in governance.
Alongside other Jewish organizations, WJC lay leadership and professional staff also participated in meetings with:
Albania — Foreign Minister Elisa Spiropali
Austria — Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Special Envoy of the Federal Chancellor for Global Issues
Bahrain — Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani
Belgium — Ambassador Michiel Maertens, MFA UN Director
Bulgaria — Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov
Egypt — Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty
Estonia — Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Minna-Liina Lind
France — Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot
Greece — Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Germany — Metin Hakverti, Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation
Guatemala — President Bernardo Arévalo
Hungary — Péter Sztáray, Minister of State for Security and Energy Policy
Latvia — Foreign Minister Baiba Braže
Lithuania — Gediminas Varvuolis, Ambassador of Lithuania to the United States
Netherlands — Foreign Minister David van Weel
Norway — Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide
Paraguay — President Santiago Peña
Poland — President Karol Nawrocki
Romania — Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Țoiu
Serbia — Foreign Minister Marko Đurić
Slovenia — Mateja Norčič Štamcar, MFA Political Director
Spain — Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares
Sweden — Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard
Earlier this week, the World Jewish Congress released a statement warning that the “High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution” risks “entrenching division and undermining genuine progress.”
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Preceding provided by the World Jewish Congress