Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan has submitted a resolution to the U.N. General Assembly to combat Holocaust denial and Holocaust distortion.
The resolution defines Holocaust denial; calls on countries and social-media companies to take steps to fight anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial; and calls on U.N. countries to develop Holocaust-education programs.
According to the Israeli Mission to the United Nations, the language also “provides guidance for the U.N.’s Outreach Programme on the Holocaust and other relevant U.N. bodies to develop programs to combat Holocaust denial and promote cooperation with civil society organizations on Holocaust remembrance.”
“The passing of this resolution is of great importance so that the shocking phenomenon of Holocaust denial becomes a red line in the international arena,” he said. “The U.N. resolution will set a new international standard for combating this terrible trend and will hold everyone, including countries and Internet companies, responsible for fighting Holocaust denial and teaching the younger generation about what really happened to the Jewish people and what the background to these heinous acts was.”
Talks with U.N. countries about the resolution have been “ongoing for several months” and will “go public this week,” said the Israeli Mission to the United Nations. The resolution is being supported by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which is also working to promote it around the world.
The world body is scheduled to vote on the resolution on Jan. 20, which also marks the 80th anniversary of the Wannsee Conference, where Nazi officials gathered to discuss their plan for a “final solution to the Jewish question” in Europe.
“With every year that passes, the number of Holocaust survivors diminishes,” said Erdan. “These conditions, alongside the increasing way social media has come to dominate the conversation, have created a vile breeding ground for denial, lies and historical distortion regarding the Holocaust. These are critically dangerous trends, which this resolution aims to combat.”
If the resolution passes the U.N. General Assembly, it will be only the second time since Israel’s founding in 1948 that the body adopts an Israeli resolution.
