In Sign of Growing Strains, Netanyahu Not Invited to Biggest Jewish-American Confab of the Year

It is a sign of how divisive a figure Netanyahu has become, even among Jewish legacy organizations like the JFNA, which have typically refrained from criticizing the Israeli prime minister and his government.

Representing the state of Israel instead at the largest annual gathering of North American Jewish leaders will be President Isaac Herzog.

When asked why an invitation had not been extended to Netanyahu, a spokesperson for the JFNA said: “No comment.”

The last time the JFNA General Assembly was held was in April 2023. To mark Israel’s 75th anniversary at the time, the JFNA broke with its traditional practice of holding the annual confab in North America and instead held the event in Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu, who had been scheduled to speak in person at the last General Assembly, canceled his appearance at the last minute to avoid a PR disaster, after anti-government protest leaders announced their plans to block the roads near the venue where the conference was being held.

At the time, the focus of the protest movement was the Netanyahu government’s planned attempt to eviscerate the judiciary.

Since being reelected prime minister in 2009, only once before did Netanyahu not address this influential forum. Unforeseen developments forced him to cancel his participation in the 2011 conference at the last minute, after he had notified the organizers that he would attend.