Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question in New York Aug. 22, 2022. (UN Photo: Evan Schneider)

By  Gary Raynaldo      –  DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED  NATIONS  –   NEW   YORK  –   Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon breathed fiery language at Palestinian representative, Riyad Mansour accusing him of being a “terrorist in a suit”  during  Thursday’s Security Council meeting.  It was ambassador’s  Danon’s first address before the council since returning to the UN as Israel’s new ambassador.  The Security Council met on to hear from top officials about explosive situation in the Middle East stemming from the ongoing war in Gaza as the conflict enters its 11th month.  Danon denounced Mansour, who is the UN Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine,  for failing to condemn terror organization Hamas for its October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. 

Palestinian UN Envoy Accuses Israel of  Committing Genocide on People of Gaza

Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, speaks at the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question Aug. 22, 2024. (UN Photo: Eskinder Debebe)

The Israeli ambassador also sharply criticized the UN for its “silence” regarding Hamas.  “Since October 7th, we haven’t heard a single condemnation from the Council. We will not accept the UN’s silence,” Danon told reporters before the Security Council meeting.   Mansour told the Council that there must be an immediate ceasefire according to the terms of resolution 2735.  “When are you going to act?” he asked the Council. “The international community and this Council have long ago demanded a ceasefire and yet the horrors continue…”  He added,  “Deal or no deal, there is no excuse for Israel’s continued killing of innocent Palestinian civilians.”   Mansour also expressed concern over a polio outbreak across Gaza that UN Secretary General António Guterres said hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza are at risk of contracting. After Mansour accused Israel of committing genocide, Danon called the Palestinian envoy a “terrorist”. 

Danon returned last week  as Israel’s Ambassador to the UN.  The Israeli government re-appointed the Lukid lawmaker as UN ambassador in June.  Danon, who previously held the UN ambassadorship from 2015-2020, replaced Gilad Erdan. Danon returns to the halls of the UN at a crucial moment with Israel engaged in a 10-month bloody war in Gaza.  Danon  ended his address to the Council with a stern warning: 

“The days when Jewish blood was spilled without a response are over. The days when the Jewish people were at the mercy of tyrants are over. We are the captains of our own ship, and we will take all necessary steps against those who wish to harm us,”

-Israeli Ambassador to UN Danny Danon