UN envoy lashes out at body’s ‘demonization’ of Israel
Ron Prosor says Palestinian leadership not doing enough to advance peace process, reduce incitement
The United Nations continuously delegitimizes and demonizes Israel, and the resolutions passed against the Jewish state have “no relationship to the facts on the ground,” the Israeli envoy to the UN charged on Tuesday.
Speaking at the UN’s General Assembly one year after the decision to grant Palestine the status of non-member observer state, Ron Prosor urged the international body’s members “not to be distracted by unilateral efforts and biased resolutions,” and instead work toward attaining long-lasting peace in the region.
“Peace is not achieved by changing your nameplate at the UN,” he said. “It isn’t achieved by unilateral actions, or by passing a string of anti-Israel resolutions; and it won’t be achieved in Manhattan, Midtown East — but rather in the Middle East.”
Prosor went on to attack the Palestinian Authority, which, he maintained, had thwarted a peace agreement by not being realistic about its terms and by failing to eradicate incitement against Israel.
“The Palestinian leadership has yet to learn an important lesson: You cannot abuse others and call yourself the abused. And you cannot claim your history is being denied, while denying the history of the Jewish nation,” he said.
“Peace is a central value of Israeli society and it has been the goal of the Israeli people and every Israeli leader since our state was reestablished 65 years ago,” Prosor added.
Earlier this month, a UN interpreter commented on the allegedly biased treatment Israel receives from the international body’s member states.
“I think when you have… like a total of 10 resolutions on Israel and Palestine, there’s gotta be something, c’est un peu trop, non? [It’s a bit much, no?]. I mean, I know… There’s other really bad shit happening, but no one says anything about the other stuff,” the UN interpreter said.
During the session in which the interpreter spoke, nine of 10 resolutions adopted by the General Assembly’s Fourth Committee condemned Israel for violating the human rights of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, of Palestinian refugees, and of Syrians in the Golan Heights. The committee comprises representatives of all 193 UN member states.