NEW YORK— 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.”
