September 14, 2024
Secretary- General Antonio Guterres
United Nations Headquarters
New York, NY
Dear Secretary-General Guterres;
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 includes a
display of global victims of terrorism. In this display, there is no mention of the October
7, 2023, massacre by terrorists of Israelis and foreign nationals of many religions, nor
the subsequent kidnapping and murder of innocent civilians.
This omission is both appalling and grossly negligent.
We further find it intellectually dishonest and, frankly politically motivated that the UN
did not reference any Israeli suTering including the execution by gunshot of 6 kidnap
victims by Hamas terrorists.
It is quite apparent that to not mention the above facts not only ignores “the elephant
in the room” but is a not-so-subtle attempt to erase October 7, 2023, in the public
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 many other countries.
Your failure to display the victims of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror only
contributes by omission to this terrible antisemitic environment in which we find ourselves in the world today. By not mentioning the horrific events of October 7, 2023, you are indirectly, but knowingly, attempting to erase facts of terror when it comes to Israelis and to pretend that Hamas and other 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.
Yours truly,
Charles Cooke,
Board Member and Government Relations Representative, CAEF
Cc Danny Danon, Israel’s Permanenrt Representative to the UN
Cc Bob Rae, Canada's Permanent Representative to the UN
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