WIESENTHAL CENTER CONDEMNS SECRETARY GENERAL ANNAN’S PARTICIPATION IN UN DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

The Simon Wiesenthal Center condemns the participation of Secretary General Kofi Annan in the United Nations Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People at which a map of the Middle East was displayed that included Palestine but not Israel.

Mark Weitzman, the Center’s Chief Representative to the United Nations and Director of the Task Force Against Hate said, "The Secretary General has stated that Jews must feel that the United Nations is their home, but it is impossible to feel at home in a place that has maps featuring the Middle East as "Judenrein," free of Jews."

Weitzman added, "It all the more dismaying to see this in light of all the recent steps the United Nations has taken, including the 2004 Conference on Antisemitism, the resolution condemning antisemitism and most recently, the resolution calling for the remembrance of the Holocaust. We are asking the Secretary General to clarify his position on this matter and to state unequivocally that no version of the Middle East presented at the United Nations, either vocally or physically, will be without the State of Israel."

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international human rights organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust by fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action. The Center confronts important contemporary issues including racism, antisemitism, terrorism and genocide and is accredited as an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, and the Council of Europe.

For further information, please contact Mark Weitzman at 917/864-5133.