An exhibit on Israel set to open Monday at the United Nations has been heavily censored, with the international body taking exception to topics such as Zionism, Jerusalem and Israeli Arabs, Ynet reported. The posters in question, provided by Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs, were deemed “inappropriate”.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon reacted strongly to the censorship, demanding in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that the decision be reversed. Should the UN fail to do so, Danon threatened, he will distribute the images anyway.
“According to this outrageous decision, Zionism doesn’t befit the United Nations and that is why I decided to protest,” Danon said. “We’ll work to distribute the censored content to millions across the world.”
It has been 40 years since the UN passed its infamous resolution equating Zionism with racism, a slur which was revoked only in 1991. According to Danon, the decision to censor the Israel exhibit is akin to reviving the damning resolution.
“By censoring displays on Zionism, the UN undermines the very existence of the State of Israel as the home of the Jewish people,” Danon said. “We won’t allow the UN to censor the fact Jerusalem is Israel’s eternal capital.”
According to StandWithUs, “Anti-Israel resolutions in the main bodies of the UN have become a sad, albeit common, phenomenon.”
In a statement cited by The Jerusalem Post, StandWithUs Executive Director in New York Shahar Azani wrote, “The UN has once again exposed its deep bias against the State of Israel. This display is meant to educate and share Israel’s inspirational story with the world.”
The exhibit has already been shown at synagogues, churches, school campuses and community events across the US and around the world, Azani added.
“It is a shame that the values of the UN, an institution meant to promote values of dialogue and tolerance, have been distorted, deeming the organization today unrecognizable to its original intents,” he said.