Posted by from Rabbi Eckstein on July 01, 2005 at 06:17:42:
Posted by Bible Probe
Below is from Rabbi Eckstein's March 2005 News Letter:
Dear Friends,
Two weeks ago, United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan was in Jerusalem at a ceremony to commemorate the opening of a new Holocaust museum. There he told the gathered crowd that “A United Nations that fails to be at the forefront of the fight against anti-Semitism … denies its history and undermines its future.”
This makes sense to anyone interested in a secure and peaceful future for Israel -- especially given the U.N.’s history of anti-Israel actions. But, unfortunately, there is more to this story. Incredibly, on the way to the opening ceremony, Annan stopped at Yasser Arafat’s grave in Ramallah. There he bowed and laid a wreath to “pay his respects” to the terrorist leader -- the murderer of innocent Jews.
Israelis and Jews worldwide reacted with disgust. One U.S. congressman characterized as “grotesque” Annan's tribute to a terrorist responsible for countless attacks on Israelis while on his way to an event honoring the memory of 6 million murdered Jews. “Just when I think the U.N. and its leadership had reached a new low,” he said, “I am reminded that … there is no bottom to their pit.”
Of course, Annan was quick to defend himself. As head of an organization made up of all nations, he said, he could not visit the area without honoring Arafat. What Annan did not explain -- a question for which there is no good answer -- was why he picked this moment to “honor” a man whose life was dedicated to Israel’s demise.
Unfortunately, none of this comes as much of a surprise. The U.N. regularly shows respect for terrorists even as it criticizes Israel at every opportunity. Such actions should lead us to ask the question: If this is what passes for statesmanship in today’s world, then how far does one have to go to be labeled an anti-Semite?
Talk is cheap, and words “condemning” anti-Semitism mean nothing unless they are backed by real action. As long as the U.N. places terrorist thugs like Arafat on the same level as democratically elected leaders, its legitimacy will be in question. As true friends of Israel, let us demand more from world leaders than we receive from Kofi Annan.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
Founder and President
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
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