“Record 44 UN Countries Boycott Israel Ceremony”
The 75th anniversary of Nakba Day was commemorated for the first time at the UN building in New York, USA. The ceremony featured live performances, photographs, videos, and eyewitness accounts, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas giving the opening speech. In his speech, Abbas called for Israel to end its “aggression” against the Palestinians and to remove Israel from the United Nations. He accused Israel of “never fulfilling its obligations and preconditions for membership” to the United Nations and demanded that Israel respect international resolutions or suspend its membership in the UN.
On the other hand, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan, wrote a letter to representatives of other countries asking them not to attend the Nakba Day commemoration. According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a total of 44 countries from the USA, Canada, Ukraine and the European Union did not attend the ceremony.
The Nakba Day was voted on at the General Assembly last year, with 90 votes in favor, 30 against, and 47 abstentions. More than 760,000 Palestinians were displaced when Israel was founded in 1948. Palestinians refer to this date as the Nakba or the Great Catastrophe.
The commemoration ceremony emphasized the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine and the need for a peaceful resolution to the issue. The UN’s “clear position” that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory must end because it “contradicts international law” reinforces the international community’s stance on the matter. It is hoped that both sides can come to a peaceful agreement and end the long-standing conflict.
