Israel: “This is Israel’s 9/11” -Ambassador to UN Gilad Erdan:
Security Council Media Stakeout
October 9-
Remarks on the side of the Security Council closed consultations by H.E. Mr. Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, on the situation in the Middle East & Other matters.
Speaking to reporters today (08 Oct) before the closed door Security Council meeting in New York, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said, “This is Israel’s 9/11 and Israel will do everything to bring our sons and daughters back home.”
He said, “Israel suffered an unprecedented attack and the number of casualties is catastrophic, truly unfathomable. Over the past two days following Hamas surprise attack on Israel, my country has suffered hundreds of fatalities.” Erdan continued, “yesterday, in the early morning of the Jewish Sabbath and on a Jewish holiday, savage Hamas terrorists fired 1000s of rockets into Israel, but this was only the beginning.” He also said, “ruthless terrorists gunned down innocent Israeli civilians in the streets, murdering anything that moved, anything. I’ll show you just one example. Just look at this photo of bodies of women strewn, strewn in the street, in a bus stop, innocents, murdered, in cold blood. These animal-like terrorists broke into homes, gathered entire families into rooms and shot them point blank as if they were stomping on insects.”
He stressed, “Grandparents and the elderly, among them Holocaust survivors who endured the Nazis, were violently dragged from their homes, this time by Hamas and taken into Gaza.” Israeli ambassador also said, “Hundreds, hundreds were butchered their bodies mutilated and defiled and those who survived were taken to Gaza. Listen to this young girl screaming as she is kidnapped separated from her friend not knowing what fate awaits her. Try to comprehend the magnitude of this situation, try to digest the ruthless inhumanity.” He noted, “I’ve seen shocking footage graphic images that will forever be seared in my brain.” Gilad Erdan continued, “These images are horrifying. They are hard to see and they are impossible to fully internalize. But I’m showing you all of this for a reason. Today, many members of the international community are supporting Israel. Yes. But if history has taught us anything, we know that tomorrow that may not be the case.”
He added, “The international community and particularly the UN and the Security Council have a very short memory when it comes to Israel. The terror that we endure quickly becomes a side note, but this time will not be the same. We will not let the world forget the atrocities our country suffered.” The ambassador concluded, “this is precisely why this atrocity is Israel’s 9/11, from now nothing will be as it was. I promise you today we are shattering the paradigm, we are changing the equation for 17 years since Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza and since Hamas came to power the world has tried to reason with these terrorists, barbaric terrorists. The international community sought to rehabilitate Gaza, giving 10s of billions of dollars in aid. Friends, these funds did not go to building schools or hospitals. It was exploited only for terror.”
