Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, spoke on Thursday at a meeting of the UN Security Council.
The ambassador spoke at a Middle East Security Council meeting regarding Operation House and Garden which occurred in Jenin earlier this month.
Erdan stated that the Jenin Refugee Camp was proof that the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority were not serious about reconciliation.
The refugee camps have become a hotbed for terrorist activity and organizations with more than 50 recent terror attacks originating in the city.
Erdan was shocked that the UN Secretary-General condemned Israel and not the PA due to Israel’s success in avoiding civilian casualties. Commenting on the success of the operation Erdan said: “Any military expert will tell you that the operation in Jenin is an extraordinary achievement, and that Israel did everything to prevent harm to the non-involved.”
ISRAELI SOLDIERS participate in Operation House and Garden in Jenin this week. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)Why are there still refugees after 76 years?
He questioned why the UN had done nothing to help integrate the refugees into the wider Palestinian society. Furthermore, he reiterated a point that many of these people were not themselves refugees, but rather the descendants of refugees who had been there for 76 years.
Erdan clarified that the lack of integration was a direct result of a Palestinian Authority policy to keep the refugees divorced from the rest of Palestinian society.
“But this is not the goal of the Palestinians, their goal is the destruction of the Jewish state, through the brainwashing of generations of Palestinians who learn that their home is in Haifa, Safed, or other Israeli cities.” said the ambassador.
Erdan gave concrete examples of the areas in which the UN could have helped in promoting reconciliation, such as pressuring Hamas to return the bodies of fallen soldiers such as Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul as well as the return of Israelis held captive by Hamas such as Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.
Referring to the holiday Tisha Be’Av, which occurred the same day, Erdan said “It is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, on which we mourn the destruction of our Temples. Today, Jews can only pray at the Western Wall, the last remnant of the Temple, but Jewish sovereignty has returned to Jerusalem – our eternal capital and we will never give it up.”
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