Israel thwarts attempt to insert language justifying terror in UN resolution

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation attempted to include a section in the 15-page resolution stating that “self-determination and national liberation does not constitute terrorism.”

By DANIELLE ZIRI
Updated: JULY 3, 2016 01:42
The United Nations headquarters (photo credit: REUTERS)
The United Nations headquarters
(photo credit: REUTERS)
NEW YORK – Israel’s Mission to the United Nations said that it managed to thwart an attempt by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to insert language justifying terrorism in the UN Counter-Terrorism Strategy resolution passed on Friday by the General Assembly.
The resolution, which was adopted by consensus, focuses on adapting the UN’s global counter-terrorism strategy to current threats by calling the international community to “step up their efforts” against terror and reaffirm their unequivocal condemnation of terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes.”
Yet according to the Israeli mission at the international body, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation attempted to include a section in the 15-page resolution stating that “self-determination and national liberation does not constitute terrorism.”
Israel’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador David Roet, addressed the General Assembly on Friday and spoke about the murder on Thursday of Hallel Yafa, and the attack against a family in Hebron on Friday morning.
“Do these murders not constitute terrorism?” he asked. “Do these attackers not constitute terrorists? The UN must decide if it wants to be a relevant actor in facing the challenges of terrorism in the 21st century, or does if it prefers to cave in to narrow political interests of a number of member-states,” Roet said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the decision to adopt the resolution, and encouraged member states to “adopt national and regional plans of action to prevent violent extremism, and to implement the four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in a balanced