Ever since the war in the Gaza Strip broke out more than eight months ago, Israel has been fighting not only Hamas, but also the UN. The tirades of the Israeli UN ambassador from the podium of the General Assembly, where the whole world is represented, have gone around the world. – You have done nothing for the victims, but mobilized for the murderers. I am getting nauseous. I am simply sick, said Gilad Erdan in one of the thunderous speeches he has become known for. The Israeli UN ambassador has come out harshly against both Hams and the UN. Photo: David ‘Dee’ Delgado / Reuters Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters have repeatedly accused their critics of being anti-Semitic, according to the International Criminal Court ICC. Israel’s UN ambassador, who has also appeared at the UN with a large Star of David on his jacket collar, has said that the UN reeks of anti-Semitism, i.e. hatred of Jews. – If Hitler were alive today, he would sing a tribute to the UN, Erdan has said. Wennesland is a Norwegian diplomat, and from 2020 has held the position of UN special coordinator for the peace process in the Middle East. Photo: Eirik Pessl-Kleiven / news Tor Wennesland is the Norwegian with the highest position in the UN system. He is special coordinator for the peace process in the Middle East. The experienced diplomat flatly rejects all anti-Semitism accusations from Israel’s UN ambassador. – He says what he wants to say, and claims what he wants to claim. I don’t let myself be influenced by it, says Wennesland, who meets news at the historic American Colony hotel in Jerusalem. – Is the UN driven by hatred of Jews, as the Israeli authorities claim? – No, replied Wennesland bluntly. Hanged out on X – Overt anti-Semitism is something we have to stand up and push back on. But it is just as easy for me to stand up and say that abuse is happening on a large scale and on a massive scale against the Palestinians. Wennesland has also been personally attacked for the work he does. When he met Iran’s then foreign minister one week after the war last October, Israel’s UN ambassador turned on all the plugs and posted this message on X: – Tor Wennesland, don’t forget to wash the blood of Israeli babies off your hands after that handshake. Israel believes Iran is in league with Hamas in the fight to wipe out the country. Wennesland defends the meeting with the Iranian regime. – It is obviously important to meet the Iranian foreign minister. It would be a big mistake not to. – In the contact I have with Iran, it has been absolutely central for me to find a solution to the hostage situation, in order to get the opportunity to stop the war through that. Israel criticized the most Last year, Israel was condemned and criticized 15 times by the UN General Assembly, according to the pro-Israel website UN Watch. The rest of the world received a total of 7 resolutions against them. In other words, Israel was criticized twice as many times as all the other 192 member states of the UN. Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour points to Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan during a Security Council meeting in New York in April. Photo: Eduardo Munoz / Reuters – What do you think? – I think it reflects a clear bias in the way the UN handles conflicts internationally. – So you recognize that there is an imbalance in the way Israel is treated in the UN system? – Yes, I see that the intensity is completely different in relation to Israel than many other countries with very sharp conflicts. Believes Israel must endure criticism At the same time, the top diplomat believes that Israel must endure criticism for its warfare, which he believes is about to wipe out the livelihood of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The attacks on aid workers, hospitals, schools, private homes, roads and an ongoing famine have triggered an international storm of criticism against Israel. Wennesland tells news’s reporter Yama Wolasmal that Israel must endure criticism for its warfare in the Gaza Strip. Photo: Eirik Pessl-Kleiven / news – We have never seen anything like this at all. In that part of Gaza, there are hardly any buildings left. Wennesland often travels into war-torn Gaza. No place is safe for the 2.2 million people who live on the coastal strip, according to the UN. – The thing that makes the most impression is to see mothers who come looking for children, with something or other they have managed to eat. Then it is primarily the desperate expression in the eyes of the parents who realize how bad it is and who are trying to keep the children alive. – A ceasefire must be put in place The UN summit believes that there is only one solution to the war that has raged for more than 250 days, and which has cost almost 40,000 Palestinian lives. – We must establish a ceasefire and resolve the situation for the remaining hostages. After that, I have no faith whatsoever that Hamas can participate in the governance of Gaza the day after the war is over, says Wennesland. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority will be allowed to rule Gaza after the war. He has also advocated a long-term Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip? – Gaza must not be occupied. It is the Palestinian Authority that will govern Gaza. That is what the latest decision of the UN Security Council has determined. This is also the clear American position. Published 18.06.2024, at 21.43
ttn-69
Thinks Israel must withstand criticism – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
