September 27, 2024
His Excellency
Mr. António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations
405 East 42nd Street
New York, NY
USA 10017
Dear Secretary General Guterrez;
I am writing on behalf of the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation. CAEF is a Canadian charitable organization that advocates and educates for a society free of hate.
It has come to our attention that a current display at the UN headquarters is a visual display of global victims of terrorism. In this display there is no mention of the October 7, 2023 massacre of Israeli citizens and foreign nationals of many religions and the subsequent kidnapping and murder of additional victims of Hamas terrorism.
This omission is both appalling and grossly negligent.
We further find it intellectually dishonest and morally dishonest that the UN did not reference any Israeli suffering including the 6 recent kidnapped victims who were executed by gunshot. It is quite apparent that to not mention the above facts is a not so subtle attempt to erase October 7, 2023 in the public’s mind.
It further demonstrates overwhelming bias and lack of integrity on the UN's part.
I remind you that the IHRA definition of antisemitism as adopted by many governments equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. I remind you that Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Canada and other Western democracies and even several Muslim countries.
Your failure to display the victims of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror only contributes by omission to this terrible antisemtic environment in which we find ourselves globally today. By not mentioning the horrific events of October 7, 2023 the United Nations is indirectly, and possibly knowingly appearing to erase facts of terror when it comes to Israelis and to pretend that Hamas and Palestinian extremist antisemitism does not exist and is irrelevant.
In the end, this display on the part of the UN negates the institution's credibility and legitimacy. One has to wonder what value the UN now represents on the world stage since obfuscation and eradication play a big part in its agenda, along with overzealous criticism of Israel while ignoring terrorism, misogyny and lack of civil rights in many Middle Eastern countries. Now even a display shows bias and antisemitism.
Yours truly,
Charles Cooke,
CAEF Government Relations Representative
CC: Danny Danon, Israeli Ambassasdor to the UN
Bob Rae, Canada's Permanent Representative to the UN
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