One must not stand silent in the face of a second Holocaust, the Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová said as she called on her country to withdraw from the United Nations to protest its failure to condemn Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Vím, že je dnes významný den pro a chceme slavit naše 105 výročí republiky. Ale tímto se prostě nedá promlčet, promiňte mi to. Přesně před 3 týdny Hamas vyvraždil více než 1400 Izraelců, což je na jejich počet obyvatel více obětí, než zavraždila militantní islamistické… pic.twitter.com/gd1hk8vdZU
— Jana Černochová (@jana_cernochova) October 28, 2023
“The Holocaust is back, and we must not be silent again,” she said, in a statement she posted on X.
She spoke of her outrage one day after the UN General Assembly voted 120-14 for a ceasefire for the Gaza War, which focused primarily on the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza.
The UNGA resolution which also had 45 abstentions, did not mention or clearly call for the release of the 230 hostages the terror group took captive on that day.
"I am ashamed of the UN. In my opinion - the Czech Republic has nothing to expect in an organization that supports terrorists and does not respect the basic right to self-defense. Let's get out.”
“Exactly three weeks ago, Hamas murdered more than 1,400 Israelis, which is more victims per their population than the militant Islamist organization al-Qaeda murdered on 9/11/2001 in the USA.
“And only 14 countries, including ours, stood up against the unprecedented terrorist attack committed by Hamas terrorists, clearly and comprehensible!” she stated.
Only three other European Union countries voted against the resolution outside of the Czech Republic; Austria, Croatia, and Hungary.
Not everyone was in agreement
But not everyone agreed with her call. The Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization and the Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartos said he “unequivocally rejected the idea of withdrawing from the UN.”
The security of the Czech Republic rests on the kind of international order the UN provides, he said, in statement he posted on X.
“It is not advantageous for medium-sized countries like the Czech Republic to live in a world where no rules apply and the strong feasts at the expense of the weak.
“The history of the 20th century clearly showed us the tragic consequences of the absence of international order for the Czech nation,” Baros said.
The Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky reposted his comment.
Černochová, however, said the UN reaction to October 7 reminded her of global actions against the Jews during the Holocaust.
“I often wondered - How could the world not believe in the horrors of the concentration camps and why did it take so long before someone freed the survivors at the end of the war?”
“Apparently, a part of society wanted to get rid of the Jews. Antisemitism has spread deeply throughout the world, including the United Nations.
“They trust terrorists, but they don't trust the country that has been protecting our Western civilization’s back for many years in the Middle East,” she stated.
It’s an “Absurd world. And it is completely incomprehensible to me that no one is calling for a fundamental reform of the organization, which long ago turned from a peacemaker into a hammer against Israel,” she said.
Czech Foreign Ministry says UNGA resolution missing 'several key elements'
The Czech Foreign Ministry posted a more moderate statement on X, explaining its decision, including the absence of a Hamas condemnation, the lack of demand that Hamas release the hostages and the failure to mention Israel’s right to defend itself.
“The resolution doesn’t provide assurances that the delivery of the urgent humanitarian assistance is not abused by Hamas and other terrorists. If we are not clear about the need to stop terrorism, we are not making progress towards the desired peace in the Middle East,” the Foreign Ministry said.
“Czechia is firmly committed to the two-state solution, which remains the only vital perspective to ensure Israel’s security and to fulfill the Palestinian desire for their own statehood," it said. "Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace, security, and dignity.”