‘Calling for both a ceasefire and peace is a paradox,’ Israeli UN Ambassador Erdan tells UNSC

The UN Security Council held a high-level meeting about the Israel-Hamas war on Wednesday in New York. Foreign ministers from some Middle Eastern countries, along with China and Brazil.

At the meeting, UN Sec.-Gen. António Guterres called for a “true humanitarian ceasefire” and the release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

“How can one call for a ceasefire and at the same time claim to seek a solution to the conflict?” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan responded.

“Anyone who supports a ceasefire basically supports Hamas’ continued reign of terror in Gaza. Hamas is a genocidal terror organization – they don’t hide it – not a reliable partner for peace. Don’t you see the contradiction here? Calling for both a ceasefire and peace is a paradox.”

Erdan lambasted United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members for failing to condemn Hamas’ savage crimes on Oct. 7. He opened his speech by highlighting the symbolic date of the discussions.

“On November 29, 1947, the UN voted to adopt the Partition Plan and the establishment of the Jewish state. Yet while Israel joyfully accepted this resolution, the Arab States rejected it, and instead, tried to annihilate Israel,” Erdan said, criticizing the Arab foreign ministers in attendance.

“Today, exactly 76 years later, history is somewhat repeating itself," Erdan continued. "Foreign ministers of some Arab countries have arrived here today in order to support a terror organization that aims to annihilate Israel. Thankfully, the plan to eliminate Israel was unsuccessful then, just as it will be unsuccessful today.”

Erdan presented a picture of Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, next to an image of Adolf Hitler and said: “This picture tells you everything you need to know about this conflict... Al-Husseini dedicated his life to ensuring that there would be no Jewish presence in Israel or in any Arab land. And it was the Mufti’s ideology which sparked the expulsion of Jews from Arab countries and Iran.”

The ambassador clarified: “The Palestinian Mufti is no different than Yahya Sinwar or Ismail Haniyeh. He is no different than Hassan Nasrallah, the Houthis, or the ayatollahs in Iran. They are all the same, driven by the same goal of Israel’s annihilation and the mass murder of Jews. It’s time for the Security Council to address this evil, before another atrocity is committed.”

I presented to the @UN Security Council a picture of the Palestinian Mufti with Hitler. Even then, the Palestinian leadership incited antisemitism and the extermination of the Jews!
I turned to the Arab Foreign Ministers and said, “A century ago, over one million Jews lived in… pic.twitter.com/wjg5xyL7dK

— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) November 29, 2023

Absurdly, even though the Palestinians rejected the UN Partition Plan and waged war against the newly- established Jewish state with Arab countries, in 1977, the UN General Assembly called for the annual observance of Nov. 29 as the 'International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.'

The Israeli Ambassador claimed that the real ‘Nakba’ (catastrophe in Arabic) that occurred after November 29, is the Nakba of Jews in Arab countries.

According to estimates, around 850,000 Jews who were living in Arab and Muslim nations left them during the 20th century. Most of them evacuated from North African counties: 259,000 from Morocco, 140,000 from Algeria and 100,000 from Tunisia. Others immigrated from Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Iran.

For the second consecutive year, the Israeli Mission to the United Nations presented an exhibition at the UN headquarters that documents the expulsion of the Jews from Arab countries and Iran.

Israeli Ambassador Erdan's speech and presentation was met with the following responses:

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki called for “international protection and international action” and stated: “This is not a war… This is a carnage that no one can justify. It must be brought to an end.”

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield added that the “two-state solution” is the only way to end the cycle of violence.

“We know Hamas continues to use people as human shields, but this does not lessen Israel’s responsibility to protect civilians under international humanitarian law,” she said.

Lord Tariq Ahmad, the United Kingdom's Minister of State at the Foreign Office, said: “Israel has suffered the worst terror attack in its history, and Palestinians are experiencing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis as a result of the ensuing Israeli military action.”

Khalifa Shaheen, the United Arab Emirates’ Minister of State, hailed the diplomatic efforts of Qatar, the United States and Egypt to mediate a pause in the fighting in exchange for the release of hostages.

He said it was a sign of hope, adding: “We must work to revive hope for the possibility of reaching a just, lasting and comprehensive political solution to the Palestinian issue.”