Thank you for 2017!
 Thank you for helping us close the fiscal year with a small plus on the account. Thanks to your generous support we are able to prepare for another important year ahead of us in which we will aim at broadening our support base in order to raise an even stronger voice in 2018. Together we can do it!
What a difference a year can make!
 As we enter a new year it is high time to take account of the past year and look at the challenges ahead of us.
2017 may well go down in history as the year when the only remaining superpower, the USA, finally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel on December 6th, and more nations are considering moving their embassies from Tel Aviv back to Jerusalem.
In only one year, Israel had gone from being completely isolated at the UN Security Council, which was the case at the vote on December 23rd 2016, to having 65 nations refuse to support a similar resolution on December 21st 2017. (See ECI press release).
As we began last year, 70 nations were gathering in Paris to declare Jerusalem as an occupied city, but now we have almost as many nations rejecting such a claim. What a difference a year can make!
 Conventional wisdom had it that a recognition of Jerusalem at this time would open the gates of hell. No such thing happened. Instead Israel came out stronger from this declaration with some ten nations currently considering a similar recognition. A total of six EU-member states* broke ranks with Brussels at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in abstaining in the vote on the resolution against the US recognition. At the same time, EU-member states such as Denmark, Norway and Netherlands are reconsidering their funding of the PA because of serious concerns regarding the on-going financing of hate and violence.
December 6th may well go down in history as the date when something shifted in the Middle East, but the battle has only just begun. Many uncertainties still exist as the US is expected to present its new peace plan in March and we wait to see how the protests in Iran will develop. Only one thing is for sure, the Middle East is not what it used to be.
* Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania.
ECI priorities in 2018
This year will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel. It will also mark the 15th anniversary of the European Coalition for Israel. Throughout the year we will celebrate these two anniversaries as we also strengthen the foundations of our work.
Jerusalem
 Since 2011 ECI has been consistently focusing on the importance of keeping Jerusalem united as the capital of the State of Israel. During last year’s 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem we were the only organization to mark this event both at the European Union in Brussels and the United Nations in New York. Many want to keep the status of Jerusalem on the negotiating table as a bargaining chip in future peace negotiations over one of the final status issues, whereas we have consistently argued that a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is non-negotiable. This is also the official position of the Israeli government.
After the US recognition on December 6th, our campaigning is entering an even more important phase, as the nations will now have to choose sides. In 2018 we will continue to argue the case for Jerusalem at the UN and the EU with the aim of having more nations recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.
Legal foundation of Israel
 With the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel just around the corner, the debate over the legitimacy of Israel will again intensify. Is Israel a repressive colonial power which is suppressing its indigenous population like South Africa in the past, or is Israel, as we believe, the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people which is clearly founded and recognized in international law? As the false narratives will be presented in international media again this year and the BDS movement will try to sell their apartheid state narrative to a young generation, Israel needs a solid defence based on international law and historical facts. We have played a part in providing this defence since 2010 when we rediscovered the significance of the San Remo Resolution of 1920. It was probably no coincidence that the young member of the Knesset who joined us for that event would later become the Israeli Ambassador at the UN, Danny Danon. Together we will continue to fight for Israel´s right to self-determination also in 2018.
EU funding of hate education
 The Middle East conflict could perhaps have been solved many years ago if it was not for the generous European funding of the corrupt Palestinian Authority which has been investing millions in brainwashing their children into hating the Jews and inciting violence. This is the greatest obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians and one of the greatest miscalculations of the European Union as it disqualifies Europe from the role as an even-handed negotiator in the region.
The diplomatic war against Israel is today a multimillion-dollar industry funded by the EU, Western governments and private foundations, whereas friends of Israel, like ECI, do not receive financial help from any of these sources.
It is a sad fact that many international Christian institutions play a key role in this diplomatic war. In 2018 we will start calling them out by name and make them accountable to the Christian public.
In other parts of society the problems with Palestinian hate education are slowly starting to sink in. Last year countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark began to openly reconsider their funding of the PA
A light to the nations
 As well as fighting what is wrong, we should not forget to present the positive side of the story. While the international media is clearly dominated by negative news from Israel, we want to make known how Israel is indeed becoming a “light to the nations”, through, for example, introducing new technology and innovations to benefit developing countries in Africa and providing humanitarian relief to victims from hostile countries such as Syria and Iraq. Zionism continues to impact the nations. The more the nations learn about the history of the Jewish people and their aspirations, the more likely they are to understand the necessity of standing with Israel today. In 2018 we will continue to bring this message to the European Union and the United Nations, as through these institutions we can reach all the nations in the world.
Anti-Semitism
 Whenever there is a crisis in the world, the blame is directed towards the Jewish people. The Jews are today being targeted by radical Islam, neo-Nazis, as well as left-wing extremists. But apart from these groups whose attitudes are nothing new, we now have to take note of the “sophisticated anti-Semites”- those who say they oppose Israel and the Jewish people on humanitarian grounds! (See video link of Jonathan Sacks.) While mainstream society will always condemn the traditional anti-Semites, the sophisticated anti-Semites are often portrayed as humanitarians and champions of human rights, fighting the evil schemes of the Jews. This year we will start to call them by their true names.
Thank you for helping us in taking on these, and many other challenges in 2018.
Holocaust Remembrance Day 2018
 Brussels - This month will mark the 73rd anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. In a day and age of Holocaust denial and rising anti-Semitism in Europe, it is even more important to remember and honour the victims of the greatest crime against mankind and to learn how to take action to prevent it from happening again.
As the recent events around Europe have revealed following the US recognition of Jerusalem, anti-Semitism is not a thing of the past but a clear and present danger in Europe today. Anti-Semitism now appears in many shapes and forms, from outright violence on the streets to those who demand a ban on circumcision or kosher slaughter, thus making it impossible to live a traditional Jewish life in Europe. (See European report from November 2017.)
The Christian world has a long history of anti-Semitism and the greatest crime against mankind took place in Christian Europe. Therefore, Christian churches have a special responsibility to commemorate the Holocaust and raise awareness of this plague in society today.
For the last ten years ECI has encouraged churches across the world to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust on the Sunday closest to January 27th. This year Sunday January 28th will be Holocaust Memorial Sunday. We would again encourage you and your church, faith community or prayer group to take a moment in your Sunday service on January 28th to do this again. During this time some churches have also decided to take a voluntary collection for ECI and our work to combat anti-Semitism throughout the year. We are grateful for any contribution at this time of the year to promote our work to raise awareness and educate about the realities of anti-Semitism today.
In collaboration with Perry Trotter and The Shadows of Shoah we will present videos of testimonies from Holocaust survivors on our website during the month of January. Please watch the videos together with your friends to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.
Second Annual National ECI Conference in London
Britain, Israel and Europe – after the Brexit?
 How will UK policies toward Israel change with the decision to leave the EU? What are the opportunities and what are the threats when Britain leaves the EU? How can British citizens support Israel in this new environment?
Come and listen to ECI staff and experts at the Second Annual National ECI Conference in London on January 13th. This is a good opportunity to learn more about ECI and our work at the European Union, the United Nations and in national capitals around Europe.
Please register as soon as possible. We hope to see you in London on January 13th!
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