The United Nations has held a “High-level Forum on Antisemitism” for the first time in its seven-decade history.
The gathering, which took place on Wednesday, was sponsored by Israel, the United States, Canada and the European Union.
Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General, addressed the meeting via video-link.
“Antisemitism is one of the world’s oldest and most pernicious and deadly forms of hatred,” he said.
“Despite the lessons of history and horrors of the Holocaust, Jews continue to be targeted for murder and abuse solely because they are Jews.”
“Time and again, history has shown that those who attack one minority today, will target another tomorrow. Discrimination does not discriminate,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, described the international organisation as: “another place where some are not ashamed to spread lies and slander about the Jewish people.” He also described anti-Israel sentiment as “antisemitism 2.0.”
The event, however, was not without controversy. Mogens Lykketoft, a former Danish foreign minister and current President of the UN General Assembly, took the opportunity to criticise Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
“We, the United Nations, have an enormous responsibility to go up against all expressions of prejudice and incitement”, he said.
“But we have to be extremely careful and precise in what is and what is not antisemitism.”
“It’s not antisemitic to call for an end of the occupation and oppression of the people of Palestine, and to demand an end to illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land.”
His comments were criticised by the UN Human Rights Watch NGO, which said:
“If this were a forum on discrimination against blacks, women or gays, do you think the top UN official would lecture delegates on what statements are not discriminatory?
Do you think there would be any “But”?
