JPost: IAF head: 80% of Israeli diplomatic wins due to faith-based diplomacy
Josh Reinstein, president of the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF), an organization that focuses on cementing ties between lawmakers around the world and Israel, told the Post this morning that faith-based diplomacy must be recognized as the primary source of Israeli diplomatic success:
“ We see now that faith-based diplomacy is responsible for about 80% of Israel's diplomatic successes. It's the reason we have embassies in Jerusalem. It's the reason we have anti-BDS and antisemitism legislation around the world. It's even the reason we have observer status in the African Union… It's become a very important tool in our diplomatic arsenal.”
In the wake of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, European leaders and legislators gathered in Bucharest at the Romanian Parliment for the 3rd annual Israel Allies Foundation (IAF) Summit to reaffirm their connection to the Jewish state, strengthen bilateral ties, and learn how to be better changemakers for Israel back home.
Origins of the IAF
The IAF was founded in 2007 by Orthodox Rabbi Benny Elon and his aide Uri Bank, both members of the right-wing Moledet party. Elon, a former tourism minister (2001–2004), used his position to strengthen ties with American evangelical leaders. After Elon passed away from cancer in 2017 at age 62, Reinstein succeeded him as president of the IAF.
The IAF is a unique organization whose approach to diplomacy revolves around creating Israel Allies caucuses in parliaments worldwide and building its network through what they call “faith-based diplomacy.” The group also includes a close-knit Christian advisory board.
Reinstein told the Post what separates the IAF from other organizations working on Israel’s diplomatic front is their approach to faith based diplomacy via legislators: “we're the only organization in the world that works in faith-based diplomacy, and faith-based diplomacy is when people of faith take their biblical support for Israel and turn it into real political action.”
Details of the summit
The event began with a VIP dinner on Sunday, followed by a full day of symposiums and workshops on Monday, centered around the theme: “Lawfare vs. Warfare.” As the barrages of missiles from Iran ceased just days earlier, the legal battle Israel faces rages on.
Although the Israeli delegation participated via Zoom due to flight instability during Israel’s 12-day war, Reinstein said the conference still “happened at the perfect time with the ceasefire between Israel and Iran. We had a special opportunity to comment on the importance of Israel’s self-defense.”
The diplomatic advantage the group has is its connections with lawmakers and legislators who, when given the right tools, can pass critical legislation to protect Israel.
“ We don't have the oil wealth of our neighbors. We don't have the votes—there are 22 Arab votes in the UN compared to one for Israel…But if you focus on people, on faith and values, those things are unchanging—and they will always inherently stand with Israel, ” said Israel Allies Foundation President Josh Reinstein.
The group’s faith-based diplomacy strategy has resulted in diplomatic gains for Israel, and Reinstein told the Post that the IAF has 1,500 legislators in their global network.
Faith-based diplomacy winning on the lawfare front
Reinstein views Israel’s efforts on the battlefield as very successful: “We have been fighting on seven fronts and we've already beaten five of them,” he told the Post. “The real vulnerability for Israel is lawfare.”
Reinstein added that, “Hamas has zero military successes, but they have diplomatic successes because of the lawfare that's going on in Europe… It's important for us to combat that and explain what European countries are doing.”
The importance of the summit in Bucharest cannot be underscored, as Reinstein put it, “It is important to lay out what is going in Europe in the field of lawfare.” he added that we see calls for a Palestinian state against the Oslo court agreements and Europe countries divesting and changing trade deals for Israel.
The power of the conference and the IAF lies in their ability to educate, gather, and unite lawmakers. The conference ended with a clear conclusion and direction – a resolution titled “Standing Against the Lawfare Waged on Israel.”
The resolution reaffirmed the unwavering support of European changemakers to Israel. Chairmen who were present at the conference include Bert-Jan Ruissen, chairman of the Caucus in the European Union Parliament; Branislav Škripek from Slovakia; Chris Stoffer and Ruben Baumgarten from the Dutch Chamber of Deputies and Senate (Netherlands); Ion Groza from Moldova; Jānis Grasbergs from Latvia; Peter Östman from Finland; Marijana Petir from Croatia; Riina Solman from Estonia; and Zoran Moškerc from Slovenia.
What's next for the IAF?
The resolution adopted several substantial calls to action, including: a call for solidarity among democracies, an affirmation of Israel’s right and duty to defend its citizens against terrorism, a call for democratic nations to resist and discredit the abuse of international legal institutions, increased awareness of the growing use of lawfare and double standards, and a condemnation of theIranian regime’s ongoing pursuit of nuclear weapons.
One advantage of this caucus strategy that Reinstein added is that Iran simply doesn’t have it: “ Within Parliaments there are caucuses supporting Israel, and there aren't Iran allies or caucuses, there aren't Hamas allies or caucuses, so we have a great advantage of enacting change in this arena.”
With momentum coming out of Bucharest, the IAF is going to continue to wage its just lawfare. Reinstein said that in the near future, they will be looking to start caucuses in Spain, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Furthermore, the group will work with those who signed the resolution by giving them the education and policy papers to take rightful action.
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