by Danny Danon

Iwrite to you on behalf of the State of Israel to express deep concern and outrage following the disgraceful and antisemitic comments made by the Permanent Representative of Libya, Taher M. T. El-Sonni, during the Security Council’s recent debate on Tuesday, 29 April 2025.

His statement was purely antisemitic – plain and simple – and it must be called out as such.

For years, we have sounded the alarm at the rise of antisemitism at the United Nations. Many have asked for examples. Many have asked how it manifests. Here it is, laid bare before the entire Council. The trivialization of the Holocaust and the desecration of the memory of 6 million Jews murdered in the most systematic genocide in human history is antisemitism. The grotesque equation of a defensive war against a terrorist group with the Nazi extermination of an entire people is antisemitism.

The rhetoric exhibited by the Libyan representative was a severe example of an increasingly common occurrence at the United Nations – the attempt to erase history and to portray the Jewish people and the Jewish State as villains to the same degree as their butchers. Some attempt to disguise this libel with superficial diplomatic discourse. However, the Libyan representative’s words have stripped away this cover and exposed the venom behind such statements. Any attempt to draw a comparison between the Jewish State and the Nazis is a red line and must be condemned by all Member States, including in this case the 15 members of the Security Council.

The condemnation of the Libyan representative’s statement by the United States, United Kingdom and France ought to have been the norm for all Council members, rather than the silence exhibited by others. We express our appreciation to those States that spoke up and urge all other Member States not to remain bystanders in the face of rising antisemitism

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, adopted by dozens of countries and institutions worldwide, identifies antisemitism as including the “comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis”. That is precisely what the representative of Libya did. The United Nations and all its Member States should adopt and apply this definition without delay. If the United Nations is serious about combating antisemitism, then this is where it begins: by calling out the hatred disseminated and amplified within its own halls.

The Holocaust was the product of an intent so evil that it changed the moral architecture of the world. The foundation of that intent – the desire to eradicate the Jewish people – once again revealed itself on 7 October through the gravest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. That intent has continued to rear its head through the spreading of hatred and disinformation against the Jewish State and people.

Such rhetoric is morally obscene. It endangers Jews around the world and desecrates the very institutions built in the wake of the Holocaust, including the United Nations.

We respectfully request that the Security Council formally condemn the comments made by the Libyan representative and take all necessary steps to ensure that such antisemitic rhetoric is never legitimized within the Council Chamber.

I should be grateful if you would have this letter distributed as a document of the Security Council.

For information:

On April 29, Libya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Taher M. El-Sonni, stated the position of the Arab Group, then declared, speaking on behalf of his country alone:
“Before concluding, allow me, in my national capacity, to reiterate Libya’s firm position on the question of Palestine. We in Libya will continue to support the struggle of the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination. We see their resistance and their right to self-defence as binding under international law. All States and all people living under occupation, subject to murder, persecution, oppression, starvation or under siege have the right to resist and defend themselves. Libya believes that there can be no real peace without the declaration of an independent Palestinian State and the return of all refugees — a Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. As a result, Council members must now confront a true test facing their peoples. Silence is no longer an option. Members must now prove their credibility and their compliance with the principles of international law and human justice, about which they have been giving lectures in all instances. Where do members stand today in terms of that justice? It is high time to put an end to all kinds of double standards, which have now become a feature of this era. It is high time to take a clear stand on those violations and to put an end to this crisis, which has been going on for decades. The first step must be to stop the Holocaust of the twenty-first century. We must end the Holocaust against Gaza. History is watching and will have no mercy.”

Danny Dano