USA: Israeli Foreign Minister Livni speaks out against Iran at U.N., thousands demonstrate outside in support of Israel

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday (September 20) that there was no greater threat to the world's values than Iran. "They deny and mock the Holocaust," said Livni. "They speak proudly and openly of their desire to wipe Israel off the map. And now, by their actions they pursue the weapons to achieve this objective to (unintelligible) the region and threaten the world. The moment of truth, Mr. President, is here. The international community is faced with no greater responsibility than to stand against this dark and growing danger. Not for Israel's sake, but for it's own. For the sake of the values it claims to embrace. For the sake of the world we all wish our children to inherit." Earlier, thousands of Israel supporters held a rally outside the world body's headquarters in support of the nation. Those attending the rally called for the release of soldiers kidnapped by Hizbollah, and also remonstrated against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his remarks to the General Assembly on Tuesday (September 19). The rally, organized by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, included representatives of schools, synagogues as well as general Israel supporters. Some of those attending the rally held up posters calling for the United Nations to disarm Hizbollah and Iran and waved Israeli flags. One of the chief organizers of the rally, Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman / CEO, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish organizations, explained the motivation of the rally. "This was a message to the world leaders who are gathered across the street that while the U.N. on the obligation of the headquarters agreement is required to let Ahmadinejad come and speak, the American people also had to be heard. So, you had tens and thousands of people from all across the United States of every faith, every creed, every race, who came together to express their solidarity with Israel, to express support for the war against terror, demand the release of three prisoners, but also to say we reject Ahmadinejad's message of hate, his threats against the United States and Israel, and his denigration of Judaism, Christianity and Islam," said Hoenlein. Another Israel supporter, Matthew J. Maryles, President of Jewish community Relations Council, said that the U.N. had not done enough to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict, or to reprimand nations such as Iran. "The U.N. was founded sixty years ago with great hopes from the world and it has not lived up to its expectations. The U.N. often is tied in knots by the conflict of special interests that are the province of all member states and sometimes they fail to see the forests from the trees," said Maryles. After the pro Israel rally concluded, a smaller group of orthodox Jews who are against the idea of the nation of Israel, began their protest. The group, called Neturei Karta International, is opposed to Zionism and has officially extended its hand, to the Iranian President Ahmadinejad on his visit to the United States. One of its Neturei representatives said that his organization did not support the pro Israel rally's criticisms of Ahmadinejad.

ITN Source | September 21, 2006

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