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Erdan tapped to lead MDA’s international efforts

Magen David Adom is "the backbone of Israel's resilience," said Israel's former U.N. ambassador Gilad Erdan, who will serve as the emergency service's global president.

Gilad Erdan, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on July 17, 2024. Credit: Manuel Elías/U.N. Photo.
Gilad Erdan, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on July 17, 2024. Credit: Manuel Elías/U.N. Photo.

Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan was tapped on Tuesday to serve as global president of the Magen David Adom emergency service.

“In this role, he will promote the emergency medical and blood services activities of the organization and represent it on the international stage, as well as advocate on behalf of MDA at international forums and other global events,” MDA said in a statement announcing his appointment.

Erdan led various governmental ministries over the years as a member of the Likud Party before assuming the role of U.N. ambassador on July 5, 2020. He held the post—preceded and succeeded by fellow Likud member Danny Danon—until Aug. 10.

In 2021, Erdan briefly served the dual role of Israeli ambassador to the United States before current ambassador Mike Herzog was sworn in.

Erdan in the statement called MDA “the backbone of Israel’s resilience,” adding that “the Israel Defense Forces is charged with protecting the borders. Magen David Adom is charged with protecting the people inside those borders, including wounded soldiers.”

MDA, he continued, “plays a key role in strengthening national resilience in the face of attacks by Hezbollah and Iran, as well as the threat of a regional war. The immediate result of a better prepared MDA is even greater protection for the citizens of Israel.”

‘A warrior for your people’ at the U.N.

Erdan concluded his four-year tenure at the world body in a ceremony in Manhattan on Aug. 5 organized by Israel’s U.N. delegation and the UJA-Federation of New York.

Hundreds attended the event, including many ambassadors, heads of Jewish organizations, New York Mayor Eric Adams and Rep. Richie Torres (D-N.Y.).

“Many times I have been asked how I can come to work every day in a place where there is so much hatred and hypocrisy against Israel,” said Erdan at the ceremony. “My answer is simple: It is easy to defend Israel because if you know the truth and believe in it, you hold your head up proudly even in the face of continuous criticism and attacks.”

He added: “I know the good that I represent—the most moral country in the world, Israel.”

He said he had done all he could to raise awareness regarding the horrors perpetrated by Hamas against innocent Israelis on Oct. 7.

Erdan also warned of the continuing danger posed to Israel by the Islamic Republic, which together with its proxies, he said, “are threatening to attack Israel from every direction.”

He criticized the United Nations for ignoring Tehran’s stated intentions.

“Even today, when Iran openly threatens to ‘punish’ Israel, the United Nations is silent. Iran interprets the silence of the world and the United Nations as giving a green light to attack Israel, which is just like the shameful silence of the world when the Nazis decided at the [1942] Wannsee Conference on the genocide of the Jewish people,” he said.

Addressing the crowd, Adams said, “I thank you for the inspiration you gave me every time we met, every time we stood by each other and every time we fought together.”

Torres said, “Gilad, you have been a warrior for your people in the moment of their greatest need. I join everyone here in saluting the legacy you leave behind.”

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