Cernochova (ODS) said she was ashamed of the UN. Credit: army.cz.
Prague, Oct 29 (CTK) – Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova yesterday called for the Czech Republic to withdraw from the United Nations (UN), after the organisation’s General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire between the Palestinian militant movement Hamas and the Israeli army.
Writing on Twitter after the vote, Cernochova (ODS) said she was ashamed of the UN, and that the Czech Republic should not remain as a member of an organisation that “sides with terrorists”.
On Friday, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that was the first joint UN response to the current conflict in Israel. Canada proposed that the text should contain an unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’s “terrorist attacks” and demand the immediate release of the hostages. However, this proposal failed. The text proposed by Jordan and other Arab countries was supported by 120 countries, while 45 countries abstained from the vote.
Israel and the United States were joined by 12 other countries, including the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, in voting against it.
“Exactly three weeks ago, Hamas slaughtered more than 1,400 Israelis, more victims per their population than were murdered by the militant Islamist organisation Al-Qaeda in the US on September 11, 2001,” Cernochova said.
She criticised the fact that only 14 countries had voted alongside Israel and the US. “I am ashamed of the United Nations. In my opinion, the Czech Republic has no place in an organisation that cheers for terrorists and does not respect the fundamental right to self-defence. Let’s get out,” she wrote.
UN General Assembly resolutions, while not binding, are a highly symbolic snapshot of international diplomatic positions. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, sharply criticised the resolution, and said the UN had lost its legitimacy. He said that by adopting the resolution, the majority of the world community had signalled that it supports “Nazi terrorists” rather than Israel. Reuters reported that Erdan also spoke of the need to destroy Hamas.
A new conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement erupted on Saturday, 7 October, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities. In addition, they kidnapped over 220 people and moved them to the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli army.
In retaliation, Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip, which the Palestinian authorities say have killed over 7,300 people so far, including thousands of children. The entire area is under strict Israeli blockade, with no fuel, food, water, or telecommunications available to the territory’s population of over 2 million people, triggering a humanitarian crisis. The Gaza Strip has been under some form of blockade since Hamas took power in 2007.
The Czech government is providing diplomatic support for Israel. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky (Pirates) visited the country shortly after the attack, and Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) earlier this week. He stated his unequivocal support for Israel and its “right to self-defence” during his visit.
Two weeks ago, Cernochova took part in a counter-protest for a demonstration in Prague’s Wenceslas Square, where people criticised Israel’s blockade and bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
hall/dr
