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UN CEREMONY INCLUDES MAP OF "PALESTINE" IN PLACE OF ISRAEL

by Ezra HaLevi

The United Nations held a "Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People" November 29, 2005. A large map of "Palestine," with Israel literally wiped off the map, featured prominently in the festivities.

The map is surrounded by the flags of the UN and PLO.

The ceremony was held at the UN headquarters in New York and was attended by Secretary General Kofi Annan and the Presidents of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly. Map of "Palestine" from the Jordan River to the sea, with no mention of the Jewish State.

During the festivities, a map labeled a "map of Palestine" was displayed prominently between UN and PLO flags. The map, with "Palestine" written in Arabic atop it, does not include Israel, a member of the UN for 56 years. The map does not even demarcate the partition lines of November 29, 1947, marking a Jewish state alongside an Arab state. The partition was dictated by the UN General Assembly itself.

With the map prominently displayed nearby, Secretary-General Annan addressed the public meeting at UN Headquarters. A video clip of the ceremony is available at http://www.eyeontheun.org/view.asp?l=21&p=144

At the start of the ceremony, the dignitaries present asked attendees to observe a moment of silence. "I invite everyone present to rise and observe a minute of silence in memory of all those who have given their lives for the cause of the Palestinian people," the master of ceremonies said, "and the return of peace between Israel and Palestine."

Anne Bayefsky, who reported on the event for the Eye on the UN organization, said that the ceremony's wording was aimed at giving honor to the worst of Palestinian terrorists. She wrote, "In a moment which has been crafted to include the commemoration of suicide-bombers (from left to right) Nasser Al-Kidwa, Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority, President of the UN Security Council Andrey Denisov, President of the UN General Assembly Jan Eliasson, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People Paul Badji, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, (and two others) rise at the outset of the November 29th UN meeting with these words from the Chair. "I invite everyone present to rise and observe a minute of silence in memory of all those who have given their lives for the cause of the Palestinian people and the return of peace between Israel and Palestine."

In response to the event, Bayefsky and her organization have once again asked the U.S. to withhold funding from the UN.

Ezra HaLevi is a staff writer for Arutz-Sheva (www.IsraelNationalNews.org) of Jerusalem. It publishes its news items in several languages including English. This article appeared on December 8, 2005 and is archived at
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=94461

Photos are from the Eye On The UN website: http://www.EyeOnThe UN.org. The website is a project of the Hudson Institute New York and the Touro Law Center Institute for Human Rights.

To view a video of the 'moment of silence', go to http://www.eyeontheun.org/view.asp?l=21&p=144. Eye On The UN comments, "The clip captures the opening moments of UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. This footage was omitted from the UN webcast which only begins at the conclusion of this episode. What you will see: Paul Badji (Senegal), Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, addressing himself to others on the podium such as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, President of the UN Security Council Andrey Denisov, President of the UN General Assembly Jan Eliasson, and a host of representatives from UN member states, makes a statement which includes: 'I invite everyone present to rise and observe a minute of silence in memory of all those who have given their lives for the cause of the Palestinian people and the return of peace between Israel and Palestine.' They all rose."