Danon decries UN inaction on Iran at AIPAC

It is crucial that the international community recognizes the threat Iran poses to regional stability.

MARCH 4, 2018 21:59

Updated: MARCH 5, 2018 03:03

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon speaks at the UNGA (photo credit: Courtesy) — Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon speaks at the UNGA

(photo credit: Courtesy)

NEW YORK – Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon urged the United Nations to prioritize its agenda and start taking concrete steps to curtail Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East instead of passing resolutions against Israel.

While speaking at the AIPAC Committee Policy Conference in Washington on Sunday, Danon said it was crucial that the international community recognizes the threat Iran poses to regional stability.

“It is vital that the UN focus on the real problems of the world, like Iran,” the ambassador said. “We all know just how dangerous this threat is, but the UN is wasting time and energy on votes and reports against Israel.”

Despite the UN’s current inaction, Danon expressed confidence that “Israel and the United States will succeed in stopping the Iranians and halt the expansion of their regime from the Gulf to the Mediterranean.”

In his address, the Israeli envoy also touched on the UN Human Rights Council’s “blacklist” of Israeli and international companies operating in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and the Golan Heights.

Danon noted Israel’s cooperation with the US against the initiative, and implied there could be far-reaching implications if the list is made public.

“I only speak for Israel, but if this list is published, I believe that the US will withdraw from the Human Rights Council,” Danon said.

The so-called “blacklist” is a database compiled by the council and includes American companies such as Caterpillar, TripAdvisor, Priceline.com and Airbnb.

Danon has repeatedly lashed out against the international body for its continued efforts to publish the full contents of the database, which Israel fears will repel companies from doing business with the country.

In January, Danon condemned the United Nations for making a partial portion of the “blacklist” public just hours before the UN was set to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day at UN headquarters in Manhattan.

“On the day that the UN is marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the UNHRC has chosen to publicize this information about the number of companies operating in Israel,” Danon said.

“This is a shameful act which will serve as a stain on the UNHRC forever. We will continue to act with our allies and use all the means at our disposal to stop the publication of this disgraceful blacklist,” he added.

The 16-page UNHRC report did not name any of the 206 companies on the database and says it will not make them public until each has been contacted.

So far, a reported 64 companies have been contacted by the UNHRC.