Israeli ambassador to the UN wears a yellow star to denounce the “silence” of the Security Council since the Hamas attack on October 7
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan hung a yellow star on his chest Monday during a Security Council meeting, ensuring he would wear it ” with pride “ as long as the Council does not condemn “the atrocities” of Hamas.
“Some of you haven’t learned anything in the last eighty years. Some of you have forgotten why this organization was created”launched the ambassador, denouncing the ” silence “ of the Security Council on the unprecedented attacks of the Palestinian Islamist movement of October 7. The deeply divided Council adopted no resolution on the war between Israel and Hamas.
“Then I’ll remind you.” From this day forward, every time you look at me, you will remember what it means to remain silent in the face of evil.”declared the Israeli ambassador. “Like my grandparents, and the grandparents of millions of Jews, from today on, my team and I will wear yellow stars”he added, getting up to hang on his suit a yellow star stamped with the words “Never again” (never again), in reference to the star whose wearing was imposed on Jews by the Nazis.
“We will wear this star until you wake up and condemn Hamas atrocities”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the October 7 attacks as “worst crime committed against Jews since the Holocaust”.
For two weeks, the UN Security Council has exposed its deep divisions over this war and its impacts, rejecting four draft resolutions. Certain texts were blocked in particular by the United States, Israel’s allies, because they did not mention Israel’s right to defend itself. Another presented by the Americans was blocked by Russia and China in particular because it did not clearly call for a ceasefire.
Faced with this impasse in the Council, the General Assembly took over by adopting on Friday by a large majority a non-binding resolution requesting a “immediate humanitarian truce”, but not mentioning Hamas. A text then qualified as“infamy” by Ambassador Erdan.
During Monday’s Security Council, several speakers, while denouncing the Hamas attacks, highlighted the price paid by the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. “The current siege imposed on Gaza is collective punishment”notably denounced Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).