Citing a new United Nations reprimand of Iran’s intransigence in persisting with nuclear activities, B’nai B’rith International sent letters to 186 U.N. missions expressing dismay over the Iranian president’s now-annual appearance before the General Assembly.In the letter, B’nai B’rith International President Dennis W. Glick and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin say: “We are writing to urge your country’s delegation to the U.N. General Assembly to absent itself during any address by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.”
Ahmadinejad has addressed the General Assembly every year since 2005. On Sept. 13, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano again cited Iranian hampering of efforts to inspect the country’s multiplying nuclear facilities.
B’nai B’rith International says the U.N. should deny Ahmadinejad any platform to air his offensive and dangerous rhetoric. Glick and Mariaschin wrote: “In the past, we have asked government representatives to walk out upon any provocation—the likes of which, in the form of Holocaust-denial, anti-Semitism and threats of Israel’s destruction, have sadly come with great regularity—during speeches by Ahmadinejad. [W]e believe that Ahmadinejad’s amassed record of rhetoric, his policies of antidemocratic repression at home and vigorous sponsorship of terrorism abroad, and above all his accelerated nuclear program in violation of international obligations, make it imperative that Iran’s regime, and particularly its most visible and incendiary political figure, face consistent isolation and global opprobrium.”
B’nai B’rith commends those nations that have protested Ahmadinejad’s speeches in the past, and urges their continued resolve. “Over the past 18 months, many key governments have responded in a principled manner to appeals for denying Ahmadinejad the audience and credibility he seeks—thus sending an important public message. Now, as direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks resume despite the violent obstructionists, we urge your country’s representatives to be absent during any appearance by Ahmadinejad, not least at the General Assembly in New York.”
Iranian cartoons mocking or denying the Holocaust—now forwarded to the U.N. missions by B’nai B’rith—are especially contemptible, and serve as a backdrop for the fanatical animosity that Ahmadinejad demonstrates toward the Jewish state. These materials reflect “the Iranian regime’s unrelenting anti-Zionism, which seamlessly presents a narrative denying past genocide—in contravention of General Assembly Resolution 61/255—while threatening a new one against a U.N. member state.”
B’nai B’rith International leaders are currently preparing for numerous high-level meetings with international delegations during the first two weeks of the General Assembly.
Ahmadinejad has addressed the General Assembly every year since 2005. On Sept. 13, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano again cited Iranian hampering of efforts to inspect the country’s multiplying nuclear facilities.
B’nai B’rith International says the U.N. should deny Ahmadinejad any platform to air his offensive and dangerous rhetoric. Glick and Mariaschin wrote: “In the past, we have asked government representatives to walk out upon any provocation—the likes of which, in the form of Holocaust-denial, anti-Semitism and threats of Israel’s destruction, have sadly come with great regularity—during speeches by Ahmadinejad. [W]e believe that Ahmadinejad’s amassed record of rhetoric, his policies of antidemocratic repression at home and vigorous sponsorship of terrorism abroad, and above all his accelerated nuclear program in violation of international obligations, make it imperative that Iran’s regime, and particularly its most visible and incendiary political figure, face consistent isolation and global opprobrium.”
B’nai B’rith commends those nations that have protested Ahmadinejad’s speeches in the past, and urges their continued resolve. “Over the past 18 months, many key governments have responded in a principled manner to appeals for denying Ahmadinejad the audience and credibility he seeks—thus sending an important public message. Now, as direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks resume despite the violent obstructionists, we urge your country’s representatives to be absent during any appearance by Ahmadinejad, not least at the General Assembly in New York.”
Iranian cartoons mocking or denying the Holocaust—now forwarded to the U.N. missions by B’nai B’rith—are especially contemptible, and serve as a backdrop for the fanatical animosity that Ahmadinejad demonstrates toward the Jewish state. These materials reflect “the Iranian regime’s unrelenting anti-Zionism, which seamlessly presents a narrative denying past genocide—in contravention of General Assembly Resolution 61/255—while threatening a new one against a U.N. member state.”
B’nai B’rith International leaders are currently preparing for numerous high-level meetings with international delegations during the first two weeks of the General Assembly.