From the rostrum of the UN General Assembly, Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog accused the world organization of “morally bankrupt“ in the face of anti-Semitism. This happened during a ceremony in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
“Today we are again at a dangerous turning point in the history of this institution,“ said Herzog. "Instead of fulfilling its purpose and courageously combating the global epidemic of jihadists, murderers and vile terrorism, this Assembly has demonstrated its moral bankruptcy time and again," he said.
International institutions, such as the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his responsibility for the war in Gaza, "blur the distinction between good and evil," Herzog said. "How is it possible that international institutions that started as an anti-Nazi alliance allow genocidal anti-Semitic doctrines to flourish after the greatest massacre of Jews since World War II?" he added, referring to the attack on October 7, 2023. against southern Israel.
Earlier, from the same rostrum, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again condemned Hamas's "heinous terrorist attacks" but also denounced the rise of anti-Semitism. "Today, our world is fractured and dangerous. Eighty years after the end of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism is still with us, fueled by the same lies and the same hatred that made the Nazi genocide possible. And it (anti-Semitism) is growing," the UN Secretary-General said.
"Discrimination is widespread. Hatred is being fueled all over the world. One of the most striking and disturbing examples is the spread of the cancer of Holocaust denial," he added. "Efforts are currently being made to rehabilitate Nazis and their collaborators." We must stand up to these attacks," he urged. "The history of the Holocaust shows us what can happen when we choose not to see and not to act," said Antonio Guterres.
An event with the participation of Israel's Minister of Diaspora Amichai Shikli in Brussels, who was supposed to deliver a keynote speech at a panel opening the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, was canceled, BNR reported.
His visit was organized by Bulgarian MEP Andrey Kovachev and Lukas Mandl - both from the European People's Party. However, this happened after serious pressure.
This happened after relatives of the Gaza hostages and leading members of dozens of Jewish communities in Europe expressed concern about the minister's visit due to his close ties with far-right political groups in Europe. They sent a letter to the two MEPs, and later to all their colleagues, demanding that his speech be canceled. By early afternoon, a total of 78 people and Jewish organizations in Europe had signed the letter against his participation.
Shikli himself motivated his decision with "security-related reasons". However, this version is not accepted by the coordinator of the letter, Dan Sobowitz. He told BNR:
"I assume that if the event was canceled, unfortunately, it was not due to security-related threats, but much more because Minister Sobowitz understood that he was not welcome. And that if he came, he would put everyone in an uncomfortable position".
Sobowitz added that when there are usually such threats, they explain exactly what they are, but in this case the message came from the Prime Minister's office, without such explanations. According to him, Minister Schickli has given in to pressure.
"We believe that on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, we should find figures who unite us instead of those who sow hatred", Sobowitz added:
"For us, it is ironic that a minister who is supposed to fight anti-Semitism openly supports various far-right groups in Europe, which are also openly anti-Semitic. It is also ironic that the Minister of the Diaspora of Israel receives a letter precisely from the Israeli diaspora, which feels uncomfortable with his presence".