A group of UN ambassadors arrived on a trip to Israel on Tuesday, despite the on-going conflict, led by Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan and the IJIA – Federation of New York.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned civilian deaths in Gaza as “unacceptable” in a statement released on Tuesday.
The Ambassadors, from Antigua and Barbuda, Chad, Fiji, Guinea-Bissau, the Laos People’s Democratic Republic, the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, South Sudan, and Tuvalu, will visit Israeli Defense Force bases where they will be briefed by IDF officials. They will also visit the Iron Dome Missile Defense Battery and examine one of the Hezbollah-constructed terror tunnels.
The visit will also include important cultural centers in Israel, like the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Yad Vashem and more.
The visiting Ambassadors are scheduled to meet with top Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military officials.
An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor missile as rockets are fired from Gaza, in Sderot, Israel, May 10, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)The significance of the visit
Describing the importance of the visit, Ambassador Erdan stated: “Precisely in the days when the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists fire rockets at the citizens of Israel, it is especially important that the ambassadors of the countries in the distorted UN see the threats experienced by the citizens of Israel. The ambassadors will understand the murderousness of our enemies and the security challenges we face.”
As reported by The Jerusalem Post, over 470 rockets have been fired into Israel by terrorist factions in Gaza.
“The delegation of ambassadors is a major effort that I lead at the United Nations. Bringing UN ambassadors to Israel is an effective way to show the true face of the country,” Erdan said.
“The visit of the UN ambassadors to Israel at this particular time is especially important – they will be exposed to the threats that Israel is facing and the harsh reality that Israeli civilians experience when rockets are fired. I am sure the Ambassadors will take the memories of this delegation with them as they go about their diplomatic work at the UN and in their home countries,” he added.
Comments on the conflict by the UN
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned civilian deaths in Gaza as “unacceptable” and appealed for them to “stop immediately” and for all parties to exercise maximum restraint, Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Wednesday.
“Israel must abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the proportional use of force and taking all feasible precautions to spare civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of military operations,” Haq said.
“The Secretary-General urges all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint and to work to stop hostilities immediately,” Haq said in a statement.
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