The United Nations General Assembly will be holding an event on Monday marking what it calls the “Nakba,” Arabic for “catastrophe,” and the Palestinian term for the establishment of the state of Israel. Ahead of the event, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, sent a personal letter to all UN ambassadors calling on them to boycott the anti-Israel event.
“On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel declared its establishment in line with the United Nations” 1947 Partition Plan. The Arab states, including the Palestinians who lived in Israel, rejected the Partition Plan, and immediately following Israel”s declaration of independence, five Arab armies invaded Israel in order to obliterate the nascent state,” the letter opened, adding: “75 years later, on Monday, May 15, the United Nations will commemorate the momentous occasion of Israel”s independence, not by celebrating Israel and its accomplishments, but rather by holding a special event in the General Assembly branding Israel”s establishment as the Nakba – the catastrophe in Arabic.”
The letter continues by expressing disgust with the event: “The thought that an international organization could mark the establishment of one of its member states as a catastrophe or disaster is both appalling and repulsive. This event is a blatant attempt to distort history, neglecting the fact that those who paint themselves as the victims were actually the aggressors who initiated a five-front war on the newly established State of Israel. This horrifying falsification must not be condoned in any way, shape, or form.”
The Ambassador calls on UN members not to attend the event: “Those who attend one-sided hypocritical initiatives, such as the abominable event taking place on May 15, only serve to promote the antisemitic practice of holding the Jewish state to a different standard than any other member state. Not only does this condone Jew-hatred, but it also gives a green light to the Palestinians to continue exploiting international organs to promote their libelous narrative. Attending one-sided Palestinian initiatives that falsely brand Israel as the source of all evil does not bring the conflict closer to an end but only serves to inflame tensions.”
In a video message, Ambassador Erdan stated that the UN is distorting its own history, “I’m working that member states understand that this event means destroying any chance of peace by adopting the Palestinian narrative calling the establishment of the state of Israel a disaster while ignoring Palestinian hate, incitement, terror, and refusal to accept the legitimacy of a Jewish state.”
He added that several member states already confirmed that they would not attend the event.
Ambassador Erdan will attend the Israel National News-Arutz Sheva Jerusalem Conference in New York City on June 4th.