‘This is a biased visit by the Council and is a new low that proves that the Council only cares about the residents of Gaza and ignores the suffering of the residents of our south and the fate of the abductees.’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations on Monday called the UN Security Council delegation’s plan to visit the Rafah Border crossing without also surveying the sites of the October 7th massacre “a new low” and “a disgrace.”
On Monday, sixteen ambassadors from African, Asian, and South American countries are scheduled to visit the Egyptian side of the Rafah Border Crossing to assess the humanitarian situation affecting Gazan civilians.
The visit was planned and funded by the United Arab Emirates who covered the travel expenses of the ambassadors.
In addition to briefings by Philippe Lazzarini, the director of the Palestinian aid agency UNRWA, and Lynn Hastings, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator, as well as updates from other Palestinian ministers.
However, missing from the agenda is a visit to the kibbutzim destroyed by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, a move that has been greeted with criticism from many including Gilad Erdan, who posted on X.
Erdan wrote, “This is a biased visit by the Council and is a new low that proves that the Council only cares about the residents of Gaza and ignores the suffering of the residents of our south and the fate of the abductees.”
He added, “The distorted visit by the Council, which has not condemned Hamas to this day, eliminates any legitimacy for its decisions regarding the war in Gaza. This is a disgrace!”
Three countries, the United States, France, and Albania, declined the invitation to attend, although the United Kingdom will attend, in addition to Russia and China.
Responding to Israel’s criticism of the event, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “The entire visit is led by the United Arab Emirates. We, as the United Nations Secretariat, are not involved. You need to turn to them to answer questions about timing and location.”
The United Nations was also criticized for delaying an inquiry into sexual crimes during the October 7th attacks until seven months after the event and only after significant pressure from Israel and Jewish women’s organizations.
As the IDF continued its military operations in Gaza, it discovered weapons stored in schools run by UNRWA, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
In addition, a freed hostage reports he was kept in the home of a teacher in a UNRWA school.