Israel envoy shreds UN Charter over Palestine membership vote; India backs resolution
In a strong display of outrage, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan shredded a copy of the United Nations Charter at the General Assembly to protest over the passage of a resolution supporting full membership of Palestine. India, meanwhile, backed the resolution.
Calling the resolution a “clear violation” of the UN Charter, Erdan said that it subverted the US veto in the Security Council last month. He further said that he is “holding up the mirror” for the member states while shredding the UN Charter.
“This day will go down in infamy. I want the entire world to remember this moment, this immoral act…today I want to hold up a mirror for you, so you can see exactly what you are inflicting upon the UN Charter with this destructive vote. You are shredding the UN Charter with your own hands,” he said.
A video of Erdan using a miniature shredder to destroy a copy of the charter, the foundational treaty of the United Nations, has gone viral on social media.
The UNGA on Friday voted for a resolution asking the Security Council to make Palestine, which has UN observer status, a full member. The resolution was passed by a majority of 143 votes in favour, including India. 25 countries abstained, and nine nations, including the United States and Israel, voted against it.
The resolution determined that “the State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations” in accordance with Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations and “should therefore be admitted to membership in the United Nations”.
The Israeli envoy further alleged that the resolution passed to grant full membership to Palestine opens up the UN for “modern day Nazis” referring to Hamas.
“Today, you are also about to grant privileges and write to the future terror state of Hamas. You have opened up the United Nations for modern day Nazis, to the Hitler of our times…So here it is. I present to you the future outcome of today’s vote…the soon-to-be President, Yahya Sinwar, President tyrant of the State of Hamas, sponsored by the UN, and he owes his deepest gratitude to you, the General Assembly,” the Israeli envoy added while holding up an image of Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli external affairs minister Israel Katz also condemned the passing of the resolution saying that it is an “absurd decision” that highlights “the structural bias of the UN” and rewards the actions of Hamas on October 7, news outlet CNN reported.
“The message that the UN is sending to our suffering region: violence pays off. The decision to upgrade the status of Palestinians in the UN is a prize for Hamas terrorists after they committed the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,’ he said.
India backs Palestinian membership, US opposes:
Meanwhile, India voted in favour of the resolution. Last month, the US used its veto power to block a United Nations Security Council resolution on granting statehood to Palestine.
In the vote 12-1, the one being the US veto and two abstentions, the UNSC did not adopt a draft resolution.
For a draft resolution to pass, the UNSC must have at least nine members in favour and none of its permanent members–China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US–using their veto power, according to the UN document.