On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly convened a special session to adopt a draft resolution condemning hate crimes. In its original version, the proposal only referred to Islamophobia, but after a diplomatic effort led by Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, and with the support of many UN member states, the proposal was amended to include a condemnation of anti-Semitism.
Ambassador Danon said that "the memory of history seems to be fading with time, but our diplomatic efforts have shown that we will not allow the international community to remain silent while a wave of anti-Semitism spreads throughout the world.
"This is an Israeli achievement at the UN and a crushing loss to the forces of hatred. However, it is very unfortunate that we had to fight to include anti-Semitism in the draft resolution. I remind the world that denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination in their land and being anti-Israel is no different from anti-Semitism. The time has come for the world to act uncompromisingly against hatred and anti-Semitism, and to ignore those, both inside and outside the United Nations, seek to undermine these efforts," concluded Ambassador Danon.