Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan was reportedly briefly detained by United Nations police for staging a protest during an address by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday.
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Erdan held up a sign featuring the photo of Mahsa Amini and the words "Iranian women deserve freedom now." Amini died in 2020 in the custody of Iran's so-called "morality police," who had arrested her after finding fault with her hijab. Her death led to widespread protests in the country, especially about women's rights.
Video: Erdan staging a protest during address by Raisi / Credit: Social media
"While the butcher of Tehran is speaking at the UN and is being respected by the international community, hundreds of Iranians are protesting outside, shouting and calling on the international community to wake up and help them," Erdan stated. "It is a disgrace that member states stay to listen to a mass murderer. It should not be possible for a murderer with blood on his hands to receive a platform here at the UN. I left the speech to make it clear that the State of Israel stands by the Iranian people. I call on the international community to stop the madness and prevent murderers and antisemites from coming and speaking here at the UN"
Video footage was provided to JNS, which was told that Erdan was released with the assistance of Israel's security and diplomatic teams.
Video: Erdan being escorted out of chambers / Credit: Israeli UN delegation
Although the Israeli delegation told JNS that the ambassador was detained, and the video showed police holding onto Erdan's arm firmly, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, described the incident differently to JNS.
"There was indeed an incident when a permanent representative of Israel walked down the aisle and unfurled a photo during the speech by the president of Iran in the General Assembly," Dujarric said. "At no time was the ambassador detained in any way, shape or form. As far as we are concerned, the incident is closed."
During his remarks, Raisi quoted frequently from the Koran, denounced Islamophobia, stressed the sanctity of family and frequently attacked Israel. He also referred to decades of Israeli "occupation," accusing Israel of murdering civilians and calling for the creation of a state of Palestine. He also claimed that Iran does not support any wars and that the United States "trampled" on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. "It has committed egregious and unilateral crimes," he said.
Iran seeks "peaceful nuclear energy" and not nuclear weapons, Raisi claimed.
Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.
