However, in times such as these, we must put criticisms and faults aside and focus on the advantages of the world's preeminent international body. UN institutions, particularly the World Health Organization, are proving that the UN is still the organization the world needs most to fight the coronavirus.

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In past pandemics, the limited movement of people between countries helped stunt their spread. Today, a virus that originated in a Chinese village is quickly spreading across the planet. The global nature of this attack obligates a unified and coordinated global response, and the UN is duty-bound to spearhead it. Naturally, every country is focused first and foremost on protecting its own citizens.

The UN, on the other hand, views the world as a global village without barriers. From its headquarters in New York and WHO offices in Geneva, the UN can assess the spread of the virus, allocate resources and issue universal directives to help halt the rate of infection. All these steps fall within the organization's declared reason for existing: To harmonizing the actions of countries to achieve the shared goals of global peace and security.

On the diplomatic front, now is the time to utilize our network of ambassadorial connections and relationships, in order to shorten bureaucratic processes and mobilize inter-governmental systems. Sharing knowledge at this juncture is critical. This is the time to focus on the essence, join hands and make progress on the research front. We are all hopeful that the teams of scientists currently laboring to develop a vaccine quickly will deliver good news. The UN must continue helping integrate these international efforts. 

A global crisis necessitates a global response. We must utilize the UN's capabilities to defeat this virus. The most important value in Judaism is saving a life. With that in mind, we must contribute our knowledge and experience to help stop this virus that has changed the world.

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Though the use of images at the United Nations is neither new nor unique, never has a graphic that so blatantly distorts history been displayed before the highest level of international diplomacy. This episode should raise alarm bells outside of Turtle Bay as it represents a growing trend of rewriting the historical record of the Middle East.

Commonly called the "Map of Lies," Abbas's graphic misleadingly suggests how what was so-called "Historic Palestine" in 1917 has shrunk in size through a series of compromises in 1937, 1947 and 1967, until it is barely recognizable in "Trump's Plan" in 2020. Taken at face value, the map suggests that the sudden creation and growth of one state, Israel, came at the expense of another, Palestine.

The truth, however, is something altogether different.

The notion that a sovereign state of "Palestine" existed in 1917 – as depicted in Abbas's map – s a fantastical reinterpretation of history. The ancestral homeland of the Jewish people and site of two temples and numerous kingdoms, the Romans renamed this land on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean "Palestine" after destroying the Jewish kingdoms of Judah and Israel in 70 C.E. in an attempt to expunge the Jewish connection to the land from the historical record.

For the next millennia-and-a-half, sovereignty would shift as empires competed for control of the Holy Land. By the 20th century, the Ottoman Empire had been the sovereign power for 400 years, but abdicated control of "Palestine" to include its Jewish and Arab populations to the League of Nations in 1917 following its dissolution.

To this day, a sovereign "Palestine" has never existed, contrary to the second deceit in Abbas's map: that Palestinians have made historic "compromises." In the 1930s, Chaim Weizmann (later the first president of Israel) suggested that the Jewish community would agree to a state even if it were "the size of a tablecloth." While the Jews of Palestine were prepared to accept even the minimum levels of sovereignty, the Arabs of Palestinian were unwilling to entertain anything but the maximum. For them, Arab sovereignty was contingent on denying Jewish sovereignty.

Compromise is necessary when dividing a finite amount between multiple parties. But the Arabs' zero-sum calculus has bred a culture of rejectionism. As the Jews continually agreed to international offers for partition – the 1937 Peel Commission Plan, the 1947 UN Partition Plan, and offered territory for normalization in 1967 – the Arabs' and Palestinians' response each time was "no" to compromise. By presenting these maps has "compromises" on the part of the Palestinians, Abbas is trying to rewrite history.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, Abbas has inflicted untold damage on the truth by displaying a graphic before the international community that erroneously suggests the Palestinians have continuously compromised on a historic homeland where they supposedly enjoyed political sovereignty.

That Abbas brought his map to the highest level of international diplomacy suggests that he believes that the world is ready to entertain this revisionist history of the Middle East. Sadly, in this regard, he may not be mistaken.

Rewriting history has long been a tactic of overtly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic organizations. On college campuses, anti-Israel groups regularly use a version of this map during the notorious Israel Apartheid Week. The anti-Semitic BDS movement features this graphic in its campaign materials. Al Jazeera, the propaganda arm of Qatar that has a growing audience among younger generations in America, has a "Vanishing Palestine" interactive video as part of its "Palestine Remix" channel.

What is most insidious, however, is the growing use of the map in mainstream venues. In October 2015, MSNBC displayed these maps during a live segment discussing a recent spate of Palestinian violence on the Temple Mount (for which it later apologized). In 2017, Columbia University published the maps on advertisements for a workshop on "Citizenship and Nationality in Israel/Palestine." Last September, a high school matriculation exam in Finland included the maps.

The use of the "Map of Lies" in mainstream media and academic circles, in particular, will have the effect of normalizing its content and message.

For Israel and the Jewish people, this presents a real danger. Efforts to delegitimize the Jewish State are growing louder, with the United Nations recently releasing a "blacklist" of Israeli companies that operate in Judea and Samaria being only the latest example of revisionist history having tangible consequences.

One's interpretation and understanding of the past forms their assumptions about the present and determines their vision for the future. Believing Abbas's "Map of Lies" will do more than dishonor the past; it will irrevocably damage the cause of peace.

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That is the Palestinian leader's modus operandi for the past 17 years and it has kept him on the wrong path of sparing no effort to fight Israel in the international arena, which at times seems to be his primary goal; something far more important to him than promoting Palestinian interests that could facilitate statehood.

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But the Abbas era will soon end and when he steps down from the world stage, history will remember him as the greatest peace rejectionist that ever was.

Years of historical opportunities to strike peace – including and especially US President Donald Trump's "deal of the century" – have come and gone, thrown away in favor of UN speeches and political terrorism against Israel in every forum and all over the world.

An individual who dedicates himself to incitement against Israel, to the indoctrination of children with hatred toward Israel and the Jews, and who backs and sponsors the "pay-for-slay" policy, paying tens of millions of dollars to terrorists and their families cannot be called a partner for peace.

Hundreds of anti-Israeli resolutions have been adopted by the UN General Assembly over the past decade, most at the behest of the Palestinians and Abbas. During this time Abbas has agreed to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only once. Yes – just once.

There is no doubt that as long as Abbas heads the Palestinian Authority, the peace process is not feasible.

On Monday, we again proved that the rules of the game at the UN have changed. After much effort by Israel vis-à-vis many UN member-states, the Palestinian gambit to have the UN Security Council adopt a resolution condemning the US's Middle East peace plan has been thwarted.

When Abbas addresses the Security Council on Tuesday, he will find no fans. Unlike before, the international community has had enough of censures and condemnations. Now it expects a direct dialogue between the parties.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tends to boast that he had held direct negotiations with Abbas. But even the close relationship between the two did not change Abbas' path – he rejected even Olmert's far-reaching peace proposal, opting instead to malign Israel at the UN.

Despite this, the former prime minister has chosen to back the Palestinian leader's brand of political terrorism.

We must not encourage a man who rewards terrorism and violence against Israel. Olmert would be wise to come to his senses and stand by his country – not undermine it for the whole world to see.

A statement in a press briefing will do little to help the Palestinian Authority or Israel. The road to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict does not run through New York but only through in Jerusalem and Ramallah.

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To clear the air the anti-Semitism that pervaded the corridors of the organization, we launched a long but justified battle, possibly the most justified one ever waged in the UN.

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In the past few years, we have spearheaded a number of precedent-setting initiatives that helped us throw off the hostile atmosphere and strengthen our status in the organization.

It started on the day I was appointed chairman of the Justice Committee, an unprecedented occurrence that proved that Israel can win, even in the UN. The new balance of power stood out especially when ambassadors from the countries hostile to Israel were forced, for the first time, to face a senior committee head who was also Israel's ambassador to the UN, and ask for the right to speak.

In every fight, we assemble the moral majority, led by our friend the US. Together we have led proposals for resolutions that were voted on in the General Assembly and designed to isolate nations that support terrorism and block anti-Israel declarations.

Eighty-seven countries stood alongside Israel and the US when we brought to the vote a resolution to condemn Hamas in the General Assembly. A broad coalition of nations openly stated that the loathsome terrorist group was an international problem.

We are proudly making Jewish culture and legacy part of the organization. For the first time, Yom Kippur was recognized as an official UN holiday, kosher food was made available in the cafeteria, and Jewish holidays are marked by official events.

We have not allowed the rise of modern anti-Semitism to go ignored. The General Assembly was summoned for a special session to discuss the fight against anti-Semitism, and a proposed resolution to condemn hate crimes and anti-Semitic crimes passed.

This past year, we have also fought against the Palestinians' culture of lies, along with a true friend to Israel – former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley. The time when the US remained silent while the world condemned Israel is over. Together, we are fighting a just war that is strengthening Israel as well as the US.

I'm proud to say that the US is no longer a home court for those who oppose Israel. Terms like "war crimes" and the "Goldstone Report" are fading memories from a dark time in the organization's history. In 2019 many countries are supporting Israeli initiatives in international forums, and multilateral cooperation is rising.

Israeli innovation strengthens not only Israel but the rest of the nations of the world, as well. Israel's cyber capabilities, a "superpower" as Singapore's UN ambassador put it, are used to defend other countries, too. The UN is being exposed to Israeli technology and this past year invested $200 million in acquiring Israeli goods and services.

All these achievements are just the beginning. We will continue to represent Israel at the 74^th General Assembly with our heads held high, and build more bridges thanks to Israel's amazing technology and spirit.

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The strength of the alliance between the United States and Israel is a prominent layer in our policies at the UN. Our cooperation at the forefront of the diplomatic stage helps leverage the efforts of both Israel and the US.

In December, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and I submitted a motion condemning the Hamas terrorist movement to the General Assembly. For the first time in the organization's history, 87 countries voted to condemn Hamas and admitted the terrorist group was a global problem. This helped leverage the efforts Israel is leading to have Hamas defined as a terrorist organization at the UN.

At the same time, when Washington needed our help, we were the first to stand alongside the US. Every year, a resolution is submitted demanding the US revoke its economic embargo on Cuba. Israel was the only country outside the US at the UN to oppose the resolution in last year's vote.

A few days ago, one of Hamas' terrorist arms in Lebanon, disguised as a human rights organization by the name of "Shahed," tried to gain observer status at the UN. We informed our counterparts in the American delegation and together, enlisted a majority of countries within the framework of an international campaign that succeeded in preventing a Hamas delegation from penetrating the UN.

But the cooperation does not begin and end in New York; it is spread across the various branches of the UN, including the infamously anti-Israel Human Rights Council in Geneva. One year ago, the US announced that while it would continue to fight for human rights, it would no longer do so within the framework of an organization so blind with Israel hatred. The US quit the council and called on other countries to follow suit.

This cooperation bolsters both countries at the UN. This team draws ambassadors from all over the world, who see us as partners in such important struggles as the battle against rising anti-Semitism and the global terrorism emerging from Tehran.

The days in which Israel was a just but isolated country are over. We have proved that it is possible to be both just and a winner. The Arab bloc is no longer able to garner automatic support for its anti-Israel efforts at the UN. It tries and sometimes fails in these efforts thanks to the active policy we are leading alongside our long-time friend. The automatic anti-Israel majority is disintegrating, and against what remains of it, a diplomatic wall of support from the many countries who choose to stand with Israel thanks to the intensive struggle for truth is being built.

Israel's foreign policy is successfully penetrating the UN: The struggle against Iran's nuclear program has not been taken off the Security Council's agenda, and we are strengthening our ties with African ambassadors, many of whom have visited Israel as part of diplomatic delegations I have led.

The advantage we have achieved in recent years is proof that we can win in every arena.

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"The U.N. General Assembly condemns the rocket fire and incitement to violence by Hamas against the State of Israel," the proposed resolution will read. The moment they vote, the ambassadors will decide which side of history they are on – the side of a murderous terrorist organization or the truth. Unprecedented activity was behind the vote, the result of which we will know Thursday evening. For many weeks we went from ambassador to ambassador, from small countries and big, because every vote counts and every vote is equal. We told them this was a historic moment.

"Your vote will determine whether you are for or against terror," I told my fellow ambassadors, "terror from a murderous organization that is holding hostage Israeli civilians and the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin."

Hamas, having understood the significance of the resolution, has turned to the Assembly presidency, begged for help from Iran, enlisted its own enemies in the Palestinian Authority and has threatened the European Union. It was obvious to all that in its desperation Hamas was revealing its true face. Ahead of the vote, we saw early signs of success – we rallied the EU to the initiative and cultivated a lively discussion in the U.N. hallways about Hamas and the Iranian regime, which is orchestrating and funding global terror. Slowly but surely, numerous countries stopped vacillating and joined the united front spearheaded by Israel and the United States. In the past, the Arabs were automatically embraced by the U.N. In recent years, however, the attitude toward Israel has changed and the support we enlisted for this proposal is undeniable evidence of this. We showed that an aggressive approach breeds success.

In the spirit of Hanukkah, it is important to thank U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who in recent years has been a light in the darkness of the U.N. She is a true warrior for Israel, with whom I had the honor to work alongside on behalf of our common cause – strengthening the bond between our two nations. The result of the vote doesn't matter, because Israel has already won. When a coalition of countries from across the globe gathers to vote against Hamas, another chapter in the annals of the U.N. will be written.

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The human rights watchdog B'Tselem has made it a goal to hold Israel and the actions of the IDF up to international scrutiny. While the Israeli public loathes and opposes the organization's activity, B'Tselem has chosen to join our enemies in their campaign of slander and lies. The campaign, which crosses borders and continents, has now landed at the center of the diplomatic stage. Having been invited by Bolivia's ambassador to the U.N., B'Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad will speak at an official meeting of the U.N. Security Council, the U.N.'s most influential branch, whose decisions shape the international arena.

Aside from his ally from Bolivia, who calls IDF soldiers "murderers," El-Ad will be welcomed with open arms by representatives of the Palestinians and some European nations that send him tens of thousands of euros annually so he can keep spreading his words of hatred for IDF soldiers and the state of Israel.

Our enemies will turn the Security Council meeting, which is supposed to discuss the "Middle East," into a debate against our soldiers. The council will not discuss terrorism by Hamas and rocket fire on Beersheba or the chemical weapons attacks in Syria. The discussion will be limited to attacks on the only democracy in the Middle East.

The standout example of the strength of our democracy is the freedom of expression enjoyed by groups like B'Tselem, which are known as civil society organizations but which actually serve as a mouthpiece to slander the IDF. Most U.N. member nations would send local versions of groups like B'Tselem to prison, at best, and not allow them to slander their countries in the U.N.

Today, two Israelis will be sitting at the U.N. Security Council table. The B'Tselem representative is on the side of the Palestinians and those who wish us ill. I will be sitting on the side of truth, which will expose the Palestinian incitement, the disgrace of B'Tselem's lies and those of the rest of the groups that fan the flames of hatred for Israel.

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Haley did not mind the criticism. She was not worried about being in the minority. She stood, head held high, with one goal in mind – to expose the truth. The change led by Haley at the U.N. Security Council, which brought an end to the automatic support for the unilateral moves by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to push forward resolutions condemning Israel and saw her voice her clear support for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, is just one example of her energetic activity for the State of Israel.

This was a period of real change, in which the tendency toward lies was replaced with the pursuit of truth, when the terror machines of Iran and Hamas and the lies of the PA were exposed to the world to reveal the true face of our enemies.

I am proud to say that this is partially due to the collaboration between Haley and myself. The bond forged between the Israeli and U.S. delegations led to many achievements, some of which I have noted here, as well as the establishment of a common policy on many varied fields.

I also had the honor of accompanying Haley on her first visit to Israel and exposing her to the beauty and uniqueness of Israel. I have no doubt the visit helped her become acquainted up close with our country on various levels, and at the same time, the threats we face.

Thank you, Nikki. Thank you on behalf of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, for the joint march on the path to the advancement of democratic values, equality and peace. And on a more personal note, thank you for a warm friendship and your work, which places you on the right side of history.

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This agitated horde, ruthlessly oppressed by a terrorist organization that for over a decade has squashed any chance or hope for a better future, is nothing more than cannon fodder in the eyes of Hamas' leaders. Not only do they send hate-filled children to breach the border fence to sow destruction and spill Israeli blood, they send them to be killed to exploit their deaths. In complete contrast to Israel, Hamas welcomes either outcome – the murder of Israelis or the deaths of Gazans. The time has come for the international community to realize that by condemning Israel, it only plays into the hands of this destructive equation.

Israelis learned this a long time ago, yet the world refuses to understand that when the Palestinians say "days of rage" what they mean is "days of terror." That when Palestinians say "right of return," what they mean is "destruction of Israel." And that when they say "peaceful demonstrations," what they mean is "incitement and violence." Vandalizing and burning the Kerem Shalom border crossing, a vital artery for the passage of goods and humanitarian aid to Gaza, is just another example of Hamas' utter lack of concern for the welfare of the Strip's residents.

Every Israeli citizen knows, as anyone with common sense should know, that if this enraged, triggered mob breached the border fence and crossed into Israel, the Gaza area communities would very quickly meet the same fate as the Kerem Shalom crossing. If tens of thousands of rioters armed with incendiary weapons and explosive devices swarmed the border of another country, all the preaching and calls for restraint would evaporate into thin air. No sovereign country would behave differently and we can even assume the casualty figures would be exponentially higher.

While the United States under President Donald Trump is fully cognizant of these facts and sees the reality clearly, many across the globe would rather be deceived by the Palestinian leadership and Hamas' cynical, brutal manipulation. Using the transfer of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem as an excuse or justification for Palestinian violence doesn't pass the reality wwww. The embassy issue is simply the latest in an endless list of Palestinian excuses for violence against Israel. For precisely this reason, the historic relocation of the embassy was a necessary, correct step in confronting Palestinian terror and threats, as well as international pressure.

Israel knows it cannot acquiesce to Hamas' campaign of terror and violent propaganda. It will continue presenting the facts and the truth and will continue defending itself at all costs.

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