UN head discusses Palestinian distortion of history
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has met with World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder and reiterated an earlier comment he made on Israeli radio that there is an absolute tie between the Jewish people and the land of Israel.
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder shakes hands with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, as WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert R. Singer looks on.
“It is completely clear the Temple that the Romans destroyed in Jerusalem was a Jewish temple,” Guterres said in the radio interview, referring to a recent Palestinian claim that the Jewish people have no historic ties to Jerusalem. In the radio interview, Guterres had also said there is “no doubt that Jerusalem is, today, a holy city for three religions. These are the facts that nobody can deny.”
Lauder told the Secretary General that he found it “obscene” that 20 out of 26 resolutions passed by the General Assembly condemning all the countries in the world in 2016 were passed against Israel, a mere three were passed against Syria, where more than 500,000 have died, and only one each against Iran, North Korea, and Crimea.
“The UN was built on the broken bones of the Jewish people after World War II,” Lauder told Guterres. “It is an institution dedicated to making sure that what happened in the Holocaust never happens again.”
“So it is particularly outrageous that the UN has been hijacked by Israel’s enemies to delegitimize the Jewish state,” Lauder added.
Guterres promised the he was “committed to act with impartiality” on all matters relating to Israel and the Middle East.
Ronald Lauder said afterwards that, “there is a breath of fresh air coming from the United Nations … a long overdue breath of fresh air.”
Lauder added that, “We are also very encouraged by the United States’ commitment to the goal of honesty and change, and support its stance that bodies such as the United Nations Human Rights Council must consistently be condemned as long as anti-Israel bias reigns free.”
For his part, Guterres said that, while he could not keep the Human Rights Council from passing its anti-Israel resolutions, he could and would curtail any biased pronouncements. Just three days earlier, Guterres demanded that a vitriolic anti-Israel report written by two former UN functionaries, Richard Falk and Rima Khalaf, be withdrawn from the UN website. In response, Khalaf submitted her resignation.
Fabrizio Hochschild, UN Assistant Secretary General for Strategic Coordination, Stephane Vazelle, UN Senior Political Affairs Officer for the Middle East team, and Robert R. Singer, World Jewish Congress CEO and Executive Vice President, were also present at the meeting.
The meeting between the UN Secretary General and the WJC president took place hours after the UN Human Rights Council, meeting in Geneva for its 34th session, debated its contentious agenda Item 7 dealing with Israeli “human rights abuses” in the Palestinian territories.
Lynne,
I don’t think that Pope Francis actually apologised for the Church’s complicity in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. He did ask for forgiveness for the Catholic Church’s role in that genocide (from whom is he seeking forgiveness?), and went on to say that the ‘sins and failings of the church and its members’ had ‘disfigured the face of Catholicism’. He hoped that this ‘humble recognition of the failings of the period … may contribute to purification of memory and may provide, in hope and renewal, trust and a future peace’.
So it seems that once again, reading between the lines, we have the same old emphasis on the reputation of the institution (and that doesn’t apply only to Christianity) – ‘disfigured the face of Catholicism’ refers to facade when it all comes down to it, ignoring the core. And what on earth does he mean by his hope that this Church recognition ‘may contribute to purification of memory’? Purification of memory! seems to me a rather obscene reference under the circumstances.
From whom is he seeking forgiveness is a good question Liat, considering it’s the Holy Spirit who has led the church down through history and supposedly continues to do so.
What anathema for those who believe……….and what a witness to those who don’t.
Perhaps Trumps proposal to reduce US funding of UN has created a “rethink” in the halls of this decrepit outfit.
Without reading the article I think it’s just froth and bubble; the way things are going he’s going to need all the handshakes he can get, besides one is as bad as the other with it’s failings to act over time.
The recent apology from Rome for it’s role, not in the Argentine dictorship this time but it’s complicity in the ethinc cleansing/genocide in Rawanda.
http://www.un.org/en/africarenewal/subjindx/142rwand.htm
Lynne, when one considers the full frontal nature of the UN’s assault on Israel over past years, yes, it is a small mercy to be grateful for. Guterres is indeed a breath of fresh air.
& Adrian, better to have a spokesman saying it how it is and that being made public than nothing at all. I suppose you’re aware of the current make-up of the Security Council?
I quess my scope goes a little wider in relation to your Mr Lauder being so readily convinced, noted for giving his trust to people too easily…
http://www.jwire.com.au/the-vatican-disappoints/
http://www.lzb.lt/en/2016/03/09/world-jewish-congress-to-meet-in-buenos-aires-march-15-17/
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/features/1.709755
Where’s the line in the sand when reading the different tacks each one is taking? http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21417&LangID=E
From whence do you draw comfort? Is Lauders satisfaction the curtailing biased pronouncements your small mercy to be greatful for?
Maybe I’ve missed something….otherwise it’s a good read.
The UN General Secretary is the spokesman and presides but he is not the Security Council nor the General Assembly.
Oh well, he comes well shod…….https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2016/10/07/new-un-secretary-general-become-key-papal-ally/