From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Israel introduces UN General Assembly resolution on combating Holocaust denial
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan introduces a resolution for a vote at the General Assembly that aims to combat Holocaust denial.
The resolution will provide a specific classification for Holocaust denial, using the working definition put together by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. It will provide recommendations for how signatory countries can address the phenomenon, and will demand social media networks remove posts that fall under the IHRA definition.
In remarks to the plenum before the vote, Erdan says that “beyond defining Holocaust distortion and denial, this resolution is a commitment to make sure that this phenomenon will be tolerated no more.”
“As Israel’s ambassador, this resolution is my most important initiative, but not only because I represent a Jewish state, not only because I am a Jew, but also because I am the grandson of Holocaust survivors,” Erdan says in an impassioned speech.
He notes the presence of Holocaust survivors in the audience, as well as Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, who is a child of Holocaust survivors.
If the resolution passes, as expected, the initiative will be just the second time since Israel’s establishment that a resolution submitted by Jerusalem has been adopted by the GA. The first time came in 2005 when the body passed an Israeli resolution declaring January 27 — the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp — as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
