German and British ambassadors spoke after Israeli Ambassador called Iranian people a "partner in building a better future in the Middle East"
By TOVAH LAZAROFFIsrael ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, holds up a picture of Nikta Esfandani, age 14, who was shot and killed by the Iranian regime, January 21, 2020(photo credit: COURTESY OF THE ISRAELI MISSION AT UN)
Germany and Great Britain called on Iran to officially recognize Israel during the United Nations Security Council mostly meeting on the Middle East peace process.“There is one point I want to highlight, this is an Appeal to Iran to finally recognize Israeli and to recognize the right of existence of Israel,” said German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen.“I’d like echo what the German Ambassador said about recognition of Israel,” British Ambassador Karen Pierce said.They both spoke after a speech by Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon who reached out to the Iranian people speaking of their rich history and heritage. Israel considers the Iranian people as a “partner in building a better future in the Middle East – the Iranian people,” Danon said.He called on the UNSC support the Iranian people by sanctioning the ruling regime that was oppressing them.Unfortunately the Iranian people are ruled by regime that is the “biggest threat to peace and security in the region,” said Danon.That regime is enriching uranium, supports and funds terror, shoots at innocent passengers and has lied to the international community to cover up its “fatal actions that took the lives of 176 passengers and crew aboard the Ukrainian-Air flight,” Danon said.“It is incredible to think of the great contrast between your rich history and your current regime. It is absurd that the people who invented human rights and protected the freedom of religion are ruled by a regime that tramples both,” Danon said.The Israeli Ambassador spoke for a moment in Persian to say, “ Israel is on your side.”He noted the courageous risks the protestors in Iran were taking and highlight the plight one Iranian teenagers Nikta Esfandani, age 14, who was short and killed by the Iranian regime.
“She was fourteen years old. And if that wasn’t enough of a tragedy, the regime then tried to cover up her death. They first announced that there was a different cause to her death and then they forced her parents to say that she died from poisoning. It appears that all options are on the table with the regime, except for taking responsibility,” Danon said.He also referred the resignation of Gelare Jabbari, an anchor for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, who upon resigning following the downing the of the Ukrainian plane said, “forgive me for the thirteen years I told you lies.”It’s expected that by March 57 million Iranians will be living below the poverty line, but Iran has spent at least 30 billion to support Shyrian President Bashar al-Assad. “Every year it transfers seven-hundred million dollars to Hezbollah and one-hundred million dollars to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” Danon said adding that Iran has spent 100 billion on its nuclear program.“The international community must support the Iranian people. We must not allow their voices to be silenced by internet shutdowns, imprisonment and death.“More pressure must be applied on the regime. Now is the time to make sure that all sanctions and embargoes continue and to put new ones in place. It is the only way to keep the Iranian people and the entire world safe,” Danon said.US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft said that the security council had not done enough to halt Iranian terror and violence and to stop it from working to destroy Israel."Despite a long history of advocating for the obliteration of Israel and aggressively undermining regional peace and security, Iran too often escapes serious scrutiny by this body,” Craft said.Our failure to address Iran’s central role in destabilizing the region sends a powerfully damaging message to those seeking lasting peace and prosperity in the region. It only encourages further instability, which puts the peace we all seek at greater risk.“Israel has no better friend than the United States, and will I say it again today. Whether it is reminding the world of what Israel has done to make the substantive contributions to global peace and prosperity, or of what Iran is doing to frustrate efforts towards peace,” Craft said.
