Credit: Gary Raynaldo / © Diplomatic Times / Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations at press conference prior to speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East at world headquarters in New York. File photo.
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Danny Danon returns as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations. The Israeli government appointed the Lukid lawmaker as UN ambassador in June. Danon, who previously held the UN ambassadorship from 2015-2020, is replacing outgoing envoy Gilad Erdan. Ambassador Erdan, who became Israel’s 18th Permanent Representative to the UN in August 2020, ends his tenure as UN envoy this month. Danon will be coming back into the halls of the UN at a crucial moment with Israel engaged in a 10-month bloody war in Gaza.
“I am proud to return to serve the State of Israel as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations during this critical period. With Israel confronting challenges on multiple fronts, it is imperative for each of us to contribute to the best of our abilities and experiences. This principle has guided my actions in the past and will continue to guide me in the future. In light of the diplomatic challenges we currently face, I am committed to boldly presenting the truth for the sake of the people of Israel and our shared future here.”
-Newly appointed Israeli Ambassador to United Nations Danny Danon said June 30, 2024 on social media platform X
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said of its decision to appoint Danon as UN envoy in June that the diplomat “has considerable experience in the international arena and there is no doubt that his talents and experience will find expression at this time.”
Erdan Ends Tenure as Israel’s UN Ambassador
(Photo by Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times) Ambassador Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations at press briefing with reporters at UN world headquarters in New York Oct. 27, 2022 ahead of the release of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory report to the General Assembly. Ambassador Erdan displays picture of five-year-old Israeli boy he claimed was killed in a rocket attack last year from Gaza committed by terror organization Hamas.
Erdan previously served as a member of the Knesset for Likud from 2003 to 2020, as well as holding several ministerial positions, including Minister of Environmental Protection (2009–2013), Communications (2013–2014), Home Front Defense (2013–2014), Interior (2014–2015), Minister of Public Security (2015–2020), Minister of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy (2015–2020) and Minister of Regional Cooperation (2020).
Critics Claimed Erdan Has “Anti-Palestinian Views”
Critics claimed that Erdan had been given senior roles within the far-right Likud Party as well as the government prior to becoming UN ambassador solely because of his anti-Palestinian views” – Middle East Monitor reports.
More than 40,000 Palestinians killed in Israel-Hamas war in Gaza
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war on Hamas following the group’s October 7 attack, the health ministry in the enclave said Thursday, reports CNN.
