Israel's UN envoy lashes out at Security Council for silence in wake of deadly terror attacks
"If recent events offer any indication, the Security Council will once again remain silent as Israel buries yet another victim of Palestinian terrorism."
By MAYA SHWAYDERMembers of UN Security Council during meeting at UN headquarters in New York , October 14(photo credit: REUTERS)
NEW YORK – Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor reproached the Security Council for its silence in wake of two terrorist attacks in the capital and riots on the Temple Mount.In a letter to the UN Security Council late on Wednesday, Prosor asked the council why it had not condemned the terrorist attacks in Jerusalem.“I write to you today with the full expectation that the council will continue adhering to its vow of silence,” he wrote.“Should the council revise its policy and deem it appropriate to condemn the Palestinians leadership’s incitement and the violence that follows, I will be the first to commend the council for embracing sound judgment and upholding international peace and security.”He criticized the council’s lack of action in the face of the glorification of these attacks, referring to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ letter of condolence to the family of the shooter who tried to kill activist Yehudah Glick on October 29.The UN Security Council met that day for an emergency meeting regarding new Israeli plans to build in Jerusalem over the Green Line.Just before the release of Prosor’s letter, PLO envoy Riyad Mansour held a small press conference outside the Security Council chamber in which he informed reporters that he, too, had sent a letter to the president of the council, and also to the president of the General Assembly, relating to the “explosive situation in east Jerusalem, especially in the Islamic holy sites of al-Aksa Mosque and Al-Haram al-Sharif [the Temple Mount].”He accused extremist groups, supported by the Israeli government, of “desecrating our holy sites,” including entering the mosque and climbing on the altars with shoes on. And ensuring confrontation left several Palestinians injured, he said.Mansour did not mention the terrorist attacks until prompted by a reporter, who asked whether his letter contained any mention of them.“You have put the Palestinian people in an explosive situation, in which more of their land is taken, more settlements are built in east Jerusalem, and holy sites are desecrated on a daily basis,” Mansour responded.
“When you do these things and expect the Palestinian people not to react, this would be a utopia.”Mansour called the attacks “isolated incidents” that are reactions to a “colonialist power,” and said he is calling on the Security Council to “shoulder its responsibility” and tell the Israelis to stop “all these activities and policies.”When pressed as to whether the Palestinians were asking for another Security Council resolution condemning Israel, Mansour said that would be their preferred course.He also reiterated that the Palestinians intended to put to vote this month a draft resolution stipulating a timetable for the end of the Israeli presence in the West Bank.
