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International Holocaust Remembrance Day Almost Didn't Happen

(Times of Israel) Gilad Cohen - This week, dozens of heads of state from around the world will convene at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem to mark the Fifth World Holocaust Forum as part of the commemorations surrounding International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Getting support from the UN General Assembly in 2005 to approve the annual commemoration was far from a sure thing. In order for the resolution to pass we needed the support of 96 countries - just over half of all member states. To this end, we requested that representatives of the EU convene a joint meeting with the U.S., Russia, Canada, and Australia. Taking action together would allow us to overcome the inevitable resistance and obtain the majority we needed. At the offices of the European delegation, our host stated that, to his regret, as the Arab bloc was opposed to the initiative, the Europeans would not lend their support. At the time, I was serving as political advisor at the Israeli Permanent Mission to the UN. At the meeting, I turned to the European diplomat hosting us, and to the German diplomat sitting beside me, and said: "Look me in the eyes, me, a representative of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, and tell me that you're not willing to support the special session because of the Arabs. You owe my people a moral debt. The worst tragedy in the history of humankind occurred on your soil. The Arabs and the Palestinians have enough resolutions against us in the General Assembly, and it's time that the Jewish and Israeli narrative is given expression." After securing support from the Russian delegation, the U.S., Canada, and Australia, I then returned to the Europeans, explaining that it was up to them to decide which side of history and morality they wanted to be on. The European diplomat finally concluded: "The European Union will join the initiative, despite the objections of Arab countries." The writer is Deputy Director General for Asia and the Pacific at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2020-01-21 00:00:00
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