UN to condemn Holocaust denial

General Assembly expected to pass resolution Friday condemning denial of Holocaust following recent Tehran conference, remarks made by Iranian president

Yitzhak Benhorin
Published: 01.25.07, 22:33 / Israel News

WASHINGTON - The United Nations General Assembly is expected to condemn Holocaust denial on Friday. Eighty-two countries have signed as co-sponsors. Additional countries are expected to sign in the next 24 hours, including Arab countries who have announced that they would vote in favor of the resolution.

The resolution was brought forward by the United States and its active partners: Members of the European Community, Russia, Australia and Canada, and, of course, Israel. The Israeli mission to the UN has been working diligently in the last few weeks to push the vote forward.

Tehran Conference

Iran's foreign minister: Anti-Semitism exists only in West / News agencies

(VIDEO) Conference aimed at 'answering questions about Holocaust' gets underway in Tehran Monday. Foreign Minister Mottaki says in speech anti-Semitism never existed in Muslim countries, asks 'why should Palestinians pay for Nazis' crimes?' Three Jewish Neturei Karta representatives set to attend, explain why Zionism caused Shoah

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The Israeli mission is hoping that a majority of at least 104 countries will support the resolution, as in the historical vote of November 1, 2005, designating January 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The second International Holocaust Day will be commemorated next Monday.

The vote was initiated in reaction to remarks made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling the Holocaust a "myth" and expressing skepticism regarding its historic facts, and to the "scientific conference" about the Holocaust that took place in Tehran several weeks ago.

The draft resolution asserts the General Assembly's approval of the November 1, 2005 resolution setting an International Holocaust Day, and cites the decision to preserve the memory of the Holocaust, which is imperative to ensure that such genocides never occur again.

In addition, the resolution says that the General Assembly rejects any attempts to deny the Holocaust: "ignoring the historical fact of these terrible events increases the risk they will be repeated."

In honor of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, the UN will hold a ceremony next week in the presence of hundreds of Holocaust survivors, addressed by Philosopher Simone Weil, and Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Dan Gillerman. Next week the UN will hold lectures and screen films about the Holocaust.

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