Web Summit chief executive Paddy Cosgrave suggested Israel had broken international law. Photo: Manuel De Almeida/Shutterstock
Israel said it would boycott Europe's largest technology conference after the event's founder accused the country's government of “war crimes” in its response to Hamas attacks.
Dor Shapira, Israel's ambassador to Portugal, said his country would not attend the Web Summit after its chief executive Paddy Cosgrave said Israel had violated international law.
Mr Shapira said, that “dozens” of tech companies also violated international law. refused to attend the event and encouraged more people to do so. The web summit, which attracts more than 70,000 visitors from around the world, is scheduled to take place in Lisbon next month.
The backlash came after Mr Cosgrave tweeted: “I am shocked by the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders and dictators.” governments, with the exception, in particular, of the Irish government, which for once is doing the right thing.
“War crimes are war crimes, even if committed by the Allies, and they should be recognized for what they are.”
Ireland was accused of failing to fully support Israel, with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar calling on the country to be “proportionate” in its response.
Cosgrave later added: “What Hamas has done is outrageous and disgusting. By any measure, this is an act of monstrous evil. Israel has the right to defend itself, but, as I have stated, it has no right to violate international law.”
Mr. Shapira wrote on Monday: “Today I wrote to the mayor of Lisbon informing him that Israel will not attend the Web Summit because of outrageous statements made by conference CEO Paddy Cosgrave.
“Even in these difficult times, he cannot give up his extreme political views. views and condemn Hamas' terrorist activities against innocent people.
“Dozens of companies have already canceled their participation in this conference, and we call for more to do so. We must have zero tolerance for terrorist and terrorist acts!”
Palestinian civilians outside destroyed buildings in Gaza City after Israeli bombing Photo: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
Mr Cosgrave, a former startup founder, co-founded the Web Summit conference series in 2009. In addition to hosting Europe's largest technology conference in Lisbon every November, it also organizes annual events in Brazil, Canada and Hong Kong. The group generated revenue of €31.8m (£27.5m) in 2021.
His comments were met with a wave of protest from tech bosses, including speakers who said they would pull out of the 2021 Lisbon event. November
David Marcus, a former PayPal executive and former head of the Meta Messenger app who previously spoke at Web Summit events, wrote: “You have chosen to support terrorists. Therefore, I will never attend/sponsor/perform at any of your events again.”
Adam Singolda, head of advertising company Taboola, wrote: “I will never be involved in your future initiatives and we will never work together again.”
Ori Goshen, chief executive of AI company AI21Labs, who previously worked a cybersecurity expert in the Israel Defense Forces' elite intelligence unit 8200, said he walked out of the keynote address at the conference.
Criticizing Mr Cosgrave's comments as “disgusting”, Mr Goshen wrote: “We at AI21 We cannot be part of such obscenity and moral bankruptcy.”
Assaf Rappaport, chief executive of cybersecurity company Wiz, also canceled plans. will speak at the event, according to its co-founder Inon Costic.
Tech bosses including Sir Nick Clegg of Meta, Dario Amodei of the artificial intelligence laboratory Anthropic and Stephen Bartlett, a British entrepreneur who appears in the BBC show Dragons& #39; Den are scheduled to speak at the Web Summit in Lisbon next month.
On Monday afternoon, Mr Cosgrave added: “We are devastated to see the horrific killings and the level of casualties among innocent civilians in Israel and the Gaza Strip.”
“We condemn the Hamas attacks and extend our deepest sympathies to everyone who have lost loved ones. We hope for a peaceful reconciliation.”
A Web Summit spokesperson said: “We understand that this is an incredibly sensitive and painful time during this absolute tragedy of war.”
“We want to once again We declare our devastation at the loss of innocent lives in Israel and the Gaza Strip. We strongly condemn Hamas's horrific attacks on Israelis.
“Web Summit's mission is to connect world-changing people and ideas from around the world. The more voices we have from around the world, the more we can help change the world for the better.
“We are sad to hear that some Israelis from the technology community will no longer be attending Web Summit. We regret the pain caused and express our deepest condolences to all those who have lost loved ones. We hope for peaceful reconciliation. «
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