Israeli ambassador to UN: Iran is the world’s primary sponsor of terrorism

Ron Prosor addresses international community on subject of counterterrorism.

By MAYA SHWAYDER
Ron Prosor 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Ron Prosor 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
NEW YORK — Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, spoke at the 68th plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on Thursday afternoon and touted his country’s accomplishments in fighting insurgency and terrorism, while also calling out Iran for fueling the Syrian conflict and for being “the world’s primary sponsor of terrorism.”
“Since its rebirth 66 years ago, Israel has found itself under constant threat from terrorist organizations,” Prosor said. “Out of this persistent need to defend our citizens, Israel became a specialist in the field of counterterrorism, with technologies and tools unmatched by any other country.”
“Israelis are the targets of a terror campaign directed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah,” he added.
“Iran’s fingerprints can be seen on attacks from Bulgaria to Kenya to Thailand, where just a few weeks ago authorities foiled a plan by Hezbollah agents to attack Israeli tourists.”
The ambassador addressed the plenary meeting about the role of the international community in fighting terrorism.
“When our children are not safe in their schools and our families are not safe in malls and museums then we – as an international community – have failed,” he said. “We have failed to stand up to terrorism and failed to fight back the plague that threatens to overrun entire nations.”
He also condemned the abduction of Turkish consulate workers in Iraq by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant insurgents and their overrunning of Iraqi cities last week.
Prosor compared terrorism to a “lethal virus,” saying that “terrorist groups are determined enemies, adapting and mutating to avoid detection. Left untreated, they attack their host from within.
“The prescription is clear: We must denounce all those who spread hatred and fear. We must isolate terrorist groups by cutting off their funding and dismantling their networks. And we must strive to produce an antidote so that we can eradicate the virus of terrorism before it eradicates us,” he said.
The General Assembly met to discuss a report submitted in April by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, titled “The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,” and to draft a resolution that would reaffirm the UN’s commitment to fight terrorism and implement the strategies laid out in Ban’s report.
These strategies include the “four pillars” of counterterrorism: combating conditions that contribute to the spread of terrorism, preventing and combating terrorism, building member states’ capacity to prevent and combat terrorism themselves, and ensuring respect for human rights and the rule of law.
The resolution is set add a discussion of counterterrorism strategy to the agenda of the 70th session of the General Assembly based on a report that is to be submitted in April 2016.


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