Free Republic

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “America Reports,” Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, blasted the U.N. as an enemy of “the values of America and the free world” that is used to “whitewash” the crimes of dictators and rogues and argued that unless there are fundamental reforms to the organization, the United States should give consideration to defunding the U.N.

The UN General Assembly this week passed a resolution to characterize the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948 as a “catastrophe,” in what has been heralded as a major victory for pro-Palestinian activists. The word “Nakba,” which means catastrophe or disaster in Arabic, was also a term coined by the Palestinians to commemorate the Jewish state’s founding. The UN resolution acknowledges the Palestinian version of the events that led to Israel’s creation, and calls for the “commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Nakba,” with a “high-level event” at the global body on May 15th, 2023. May...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — “Stop the bombs and save lives!” the Palestinian ambassador pleaded at an emotional U.N. meeting Thursday on the war in Gaza. But Israel’s envoy was adamant, declaring again, “We will not rest until Hamas is obliterated.” At the assembly’s resumed emergency special session on Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories Thursday, speaker after speaker backed the Arab resolution’s cease-fire call — except for Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan, who told the 193-member world body, “A cease-fire means giving Hamas time to rearm itself, so they can massacre us again.” After quoting several Hamas statements vowing to...

On Saturday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Live,” Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan said the Hamas attack on Israel that happened on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the annual High Holy Day cycle, “is our 9/11” and “we said, since the Holocaust, where Jews were butchered and massacred, never again. And never again is today,” Erdan also argued that when Israel withdrew from Gaza, Hamas turned the Gaza Strip into “a war machine. We cannot allow this situation of Gaza as a war machine to continue. And we are committed,...

Israel’s ambassador, Gilad Erdan, shamed us all; if we want to retain any respect for ourselves, we now need to follow his example. The appearance of Ebrahim Raisi, the Butcher of Tehran, at the United Nations underscores even further, if such is possible, the UN’s complete lack of legitimacy as any kind of international organization. “Raisi was a member of Tehran’s ‘Death Commission,’ which oversaw the 1988 massacre” in which thirty thousand people were murdered. He is no better than the Nazis who were hanged after the Nuremberg trials, and hopefully his own people will someday give him the Pierrepoint...

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations was briefly detained by security on Tuesday for protesting during the Iranian president's speech. Gilad Erdan held up a photo of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian woman who was killed while in the custody of Tehran's morality police after being arrested for not covering enough of her hair. Erdan walked silently towards the stage, holding the sign above his head. On it was written: 'Iranian women deserve freedom now!' Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, did not appear to notice Erdan, who then left the chamber and was later held by UN security. Erdan...

Israel's UN envoy accuses New York Times of 'overt anti-Israel bias' By Haley Cohen February 22, 2023 Erdan called asymmetry in The Times' coverage of Israel "libelous narratives" and demanded that reporting in the paper that serves the largest urban Jewish community in the world be rectified NEW YORK –Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan on Wednesday sent a letter to The New York Times' executive editor in which he sharply condemned the newspaper's "overt anti-Israel bias." Addressed to Joseph Kahn, Erdan called asymmetry in The Times' coverage of Israel, from opinion columns to news stories, "libelous narratives"...

Know, then, that I have sent this charge to you that My covenant with Levi may endure—said the lord of Hosts.” Malachi 2:4 The reshuffling currently taking place in the Israeli government may result in the serendipitous appointment of a new police commissioner who, in addition to his impressive background, was literally born to protect the Holy Land. In the wake of an agreement with political rival Benny Gantz, head of the Blue and White party, rumors currently abound that Prime Minister Netanyahu will appoint the current Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev to replace Gilad Erdan as Internal Security...

In high contrast to nearly every other non-U.S. country, Israel passed a law on Monday that would expand the number of citizens eligible for firearms ownership licenses. As justification for the new policy, Israel’s Security Minister Gilad Erdan cited increased protection from “lone wolf” terrorist attacks. “Many civilians saved lives during terror attacks and in an era of ‘lone terrorism.’ The more skilled civilians carrying weapons, the greater the chance of thwarting attacks without casualties and reducing the number of casualties,” Erdan said, according to the Jerusalem Post. Previously, Israel operated under a system similar to the “good cause” scheme...

Jerusalem District Commander Yoram Halevi signed an order Thursday forbidding a conference of Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party in honor of terrorists. The conference was to be held in the Issawiya neighborhood of eastern Jerusalem to honor the mothers of shaheeds (martyrs) and those wounded while attacking Israelis. Following the issuance of the order and the instructions of the district commander, police forces arrived at the scene and prevented the event from being held. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan stated that "my policy is clear: to prevent any occurrence of incitement and support of terrorism in any way...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize the mass murders of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman government in 1915 as genocide. In the past, the Foreign Ministry had assessed that such a move was likely to lead to the expulsion of Israeli Embassy staff in Ankara and the recalling of TurkeyÂ’s ambassador from Israel. While Turkey denies that the mass killings constitute genocide, some 29 countries and 48 of the 50 U.S. states have officially recognized them as such. ErdanÂ’s call to recognize the Armenian genocide follows a war of words between Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan, in...

Interior Minister Gilad Erdan and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein won the top slots behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Likud’s Knesset candidates list in Wednesday’s party primary, the Likud’s spokeswoman announced after 18 hours of counting votes by hand that ended on Thursday night.

Israel is considering launching another heavy ground offensive into Gaza, Communications Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) indicated Saturday, in the wake of renewed rocket fire and an exodus of Negev residents from their homes. "Has the decision been made? No," Erdan stated to Channel 2 News. "But we are closer to it than we ever have been." A ground offensive would be the most extensive so far since the 2005 Disengagement, Erdan said. No matter what, he stressed, Israel would take action. "We are committed to this operation, and making sure it does not revert to how life was before," Erdan...

Communications Minister Gilad Erdan harshly criticized US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday, accusing Kerry of not being a fair intermediary in the peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA). […] “Currently, threats are still heard against citizens of Israel and they try to terrorize us. When we hear John Kerry and the American State Department, we think they are wrong in their analysis of what’s happening in the Middle East,” emphasized Erdan. “It would be expected from someone who’s supposed to be a fair and objective intermediary to also tell the Palestinian side about the price they will...

"Israel does not take orders from [US President Barack] Obama," Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) said on Monday, responding to an earlier statement by the US president in which he reaffirmed his administration's commitment to all previous understandings between Israel and the Palestinians, including the process launched at Annapolis in 2007. Erdan, who is also in charge of coordinating between the Knesset and the cabinet, also praised Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who only last week said that Israel was not bound by the Annapolis talks. "Let me be clear," Obama had said, "the United States strongly supports the goal...