"This is not a war with Palestinians but Hamas": Israel envoy at UNGA
Oct 26, 2023
New York [US], October 27 : Israel's permanent ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said his country was not waging a war "with Palestinians" but with Hamas, adding that the terrorist organisation does not care about Palestinian people, peace or dialogue.
Invoking the deadly coordinated attacks by Hamas terrorists on unarmed civilians in southern Israel on October 7, Erdan, during his address at the special session of the UN General Assembly, said the 'massacre' had nothing to do with the Palestinians.
"Every member State here today who is convinced that we are above to discuss yet another round of conflict in the Middle East another dispute between Israel and the Palestinians is wrong," he said.
"The October 7th Massacre and what ensued has nothing to do with the Palestinians, nothing. It has nothing to do with the Arab-Israeli conflict or the Palestinian question. This is not a war with the Palestinians. Israel is at war with the genocidal jihadist Hamas terror organization only. It is the law-abiding democracy of Israel against modern-day Nazis," he added.
The envoy noted further that Hamas has only one goal, which is to murder every single Jew.
"Hamas do not care about the Palestinian people. They do not care about peace or dialogue. Hamas has only one goal to annihilate Israel and murder every single Jew on the face of the Earth," Erdan said.
Raising the "brutal killings" of Israeli civilians by Hamas and the "intentional targeting" of Israeli medical teams that were trying to help the injured during the terror attack, Erdan said his country will continue combating the "genocidal terrorists committed to Israel's destruction".
"We will not rest until Hamas is obliterated and our hostages are returned home and we will bring them home," he added.
"Israel's mission is to eradicate this evil from the earth eradicate. ISIS was the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and Hamas is the Islamic State of Gaza. So, just as was done with ISIS, Hamas must be no more," Israel's permanent envoy to the UN stated further.
"Our goal is to completely eradicate Hamas's capabilities and we will use every means at our disposal to accomplish this. Not for Revenge, no not for retaliation no but to ensure that such depravity such atrocities never occur again. Israel is at the forefront of the war on radical jihadist terror and if Israel doesn't succeed in obliterating Hamas's Terror capabilities. The whole world will pay the price," he added.
Erdan also showed a video clip that he claimed showed the brutal decapitation with a garden tool of a helpless agricultural worker from Thailand.
He turned the screen of the tablet towards the delegates for them to see the purported beheading of a foreign national by Hamas terrorists.
"On October 7, it became clear to the entire world that Hamas's Charter was not a compilation of empty words it was an action plan. Imagine, a bright sunny day clear skies, music in the air, young people are dancing ....a concert for Peace, yes for peace It is really it is early morning on the holy Shabbat, the sun is just risen to mark a new day it is also a festive Jewish High holiday Simchat Torah means the joy of the Torah where we celebrate the book of of books our Holy Bible and then in one split second this Idyllic Eden became hell on Earth," the Israeli envoy to the UN said.
"The peaceful morning air was pierced with the whale of rocket sirens. I'm telling you thousands of Hamas mortars and rockets rain down indiscriminately on many Israeli cities and villages but the buckets were only covered for the ..., the ...that followed barbarian Hamas terrorists invaded Israel from the sea the land and the air they came with one purpose only to savagely murder every living thing they encountered," he added.
Meanwhile, weighing in on the ongoing war on Hamas, Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi said "there is no room for grey areas", adding that the Israeli government have cabinet members who call for "wiping out Palestinians from the face of this Earth."
He said Israel was making Gaza "hell on earth", adding, "We must stand for peace, our human values and the UN Charter."
"History will judge us. Say no to war. Say no to the killing. Call out war crimes," Safadi stated.
Calling on Israel to uphold values, he said, "The right to self-defence is not a right to impunity; Israel cannot remain above the land", adding, "Let the guns go silent and let the will to live and let live prevail. Let's restore faith in the peace process as the only path to ending this conflict once and for all."
"Let's make a collective cry, a cry out against more bloodletting. Let's unite for peace. Make a stand for peace, make a stand for life, make it clear, make it firm," the Jordanian deputy PM added.
He also called for a moment of silence for all the civilians who have lost their lives during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.