In a vote held Tuesday (June 7) at United Nations Headquarters, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan was elected Vice President of the UN General Assembly.
Erdan will take office in September when the 77th General Assembly convenes, and will hold the position for a year.
As part of this role, Erdan will chair General Assembly meetings and take part in setting the agenda for General Assembly deliberations.
This is a major achievement for Israel. It comes notwithstanding the exploitation by the Palestinian Authority and others of the death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, on which the Ramallah government has refused an impartial joint inquiry.
Erdan’s achievement also prevails over the phony report, premeditated with anti-Israel bias, from the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry.
Iran and Syria voiced objections over Israel’s election but did not call for a vote, knowing they would lose.
“I will now be representing Israel in a position at the heart of the UN,” Erdan observed.
“Nothing will stop me — and I mean nothing — from fighting the discrimination in the UN against Israel.
“This new position gives Israel another platform to present the truth about our country and our contributions to the world, despite the ongoing lies of the Palestinians and others at the UN,” Erdan continued.
“This triumph sends a clear message to our enemies that they will not prevent us from participating in leading roles at the UN and in the international arena. Hatred must never triumph over the truth. I won’t allow it.”
In the past year, Israel has achieved a number of significant milestones at the UN. Among those achievements were Israel’s election to serve for the first time as a member of the UN Economic Council (ECOSOC), the election of Odelia Fitoussi to serve on the Committee of Experts on Disability, Sarah Weiss-Maudi to serve as the Vice Chair of the UN Legal Committee and the passing of the historic resolution in the General Assembly against Holocaust denial and distortion.
