JERUSALEM, 27 January 2026 – OSCE PA Vice-President Eugenio Zoffili (Italy) today addressed the Israeli Knesset to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day and made the following statement: 

Vice-President Eugenio Zoffili at the Second International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism, Jerusalem, 27 January 2026“As OSCE PA Vice-President, I had the great honour of speaking at the opening ceremony of the Second International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism – Generation Truth, held at the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, at the invitation of Amichai Chikli, Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism.

Attended by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, the conference was opened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside other prominent international figures. I reiterated my deep solidarity with the Israeli people, who were victims of the barbarity carried out by Hamas terrorists on 7 October. This tragedy has injured, but not broken, the pride and identity of Israel, the only bulwark of democracy in the Middle East.

Israel is a state born out of the greatest tragedy of the 20th century, the Holocaust, which we commemorate today and whose evil roots still persist. I emphasised that there are, unfortunately, clear signs of a resurgence of anti-Semitism worldwide. I outlined several lines of action through which parliaments can take concrete steps to counter these threats, including through the work of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Holocaust remembrance must not be confined to history books; it must be a daily endeavour. Behind anti-Semitism often lies an even more insidious and entrenched enemy: anti-Zionism, which translates into a denial of Israel’s right to exist as a state. We must work together to confront these dangerous threats to democracy and peace.”

During the visit, Vice-President Zoffili also met with Italy’s Ambassador to Israel, Luca Ferrari, in Tel Aviv.