The United Nations presented an exhibit in the foyer of its headquarters in New York City titled Memories to mark the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to Victims of Terror. The exhibit was intended to “raise awareness about the human stories that lie at the heart of each victim and survivor of terrorism, as well as the long-lasting impact each terrorist attack has on its surviving victims.”
Israel’s former Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, posted a video on Tuesday accusing the UN of failing to allocate a place of commemoration for the victims of October 7 on the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
“Tomorrow marks the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.”
“Soon, it will be a year since October 7, the most horrific terror attack since the Holocaust. Yet, the disgraceful UN did not see fit to include even a single Israeli terror victim(!) in the exhibition it is presenting for this day of remembrance.”
The exhibit also failed to mention any victims of terrorist actions carried out in Israel.
“There are no words to describe how morally corrupt and twisted the UN is. It’s simply a disgrace.”
Erdan noted that the exhibit includes a “Palestinian victim” named Maysoon Salama. The UN exhibit identifies the attack as occurring in “Palestine,” perhaps leading some to believe she was harmed in Israel,
“But when you read the fine print, it turns out she was actually injured in an attack in New Zealand,” Erdan said.
In a press briefing, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, was asked about the omission.
“The exhibition was launched in 2022 with victims of prior terrorist attacks,” the UN representative responded without explaining how this would preclude the inclusion of the countless attacks on Israelis that predated 2022.
The journalist noted that the 1994 AMIA bombing of a Jewish Community Centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 and wounded over 300 was also omitted. It is suspected that Hezbollah carried out the suicide bomb attack with the assistance of Iran.
The reporter also noted the omission of the 2012 terror attack in Bulgaria in which five Israelis died and 45 Israeli youth were wounded. Hezbollah also carried out that attack.
When asked if the omission displayed a pattern, the representative denied this.
October 7 saw over 1,200 Israelis massacred by Hamas, a designated terrorist organization by the US, UK, and EU.
UN Security Council Resolution 1559 of 2006 called for “the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militia” but does not explicitly include Hezbollah. While acknowledging that “Hezbollah employs terrorist tactics, teh United Nations does not classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Some in the United Nations deny that Hezbollah’s military activities against civilians are terrorist in nature at all.
In February, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said during a Sky News interview on Wednesday that “Hamas is not a terrorist group for us, of course, as you know. It’s a political movement.”
Indeed, the UN does not categorize Hamas as a terrorist organization./
There are still 109 hostages in Hamas captivity, many of them confirmed to have died during the war in Gaza.
