Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, on Wednesday led in Poland a delegation of his counterparts from more than 20 countries, who joined him on a tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Holocaust-related sites, and later Israel, his office said.
After the delegation lands in Israel this week, “they will conduct a security tour of the south and meet with senior officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog,” according to a statement from Danon’s office.
A spokesperson for Danon’s office listed 23 countries whose U.N. envoys joined the delegation, including Italy, Australia, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Albania. The list had six African nations, three Latin American ones, five Pacific Island countries and Papua New Guinea.
Most of the participating envoys have never visited Israel, and are also visiting Poland for the first time, Danon told JNS. The attendance represented a “shift into a phase” in Israel’s diplomatic relationships at the United Nations following the implementation in October of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, he added. Israel has been under fierce criticism and attempts to isolate it at the U.N. during the war that broke out after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“The presence of the world’s ambassadors here today is a clear reminder: we will never allow the world to forget what took place here,” Danon wrote on X about the delegation.
“The Jewish people stand strong and move forward with pride. We are heralding a new era on the diplomatic front—an era of strengthening ties, building alliances, and ensuring that the past is remembered and the future is preserved,” the statement read.
On Wednesday, the envoys toured the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. “We toured the Jewish Ghetto, the historic pharmacy of Tadeusz Pankiewicz, and Oskar Schindler’s factory,” Danon also wrote, naming two non-Jews who were recognized for extraordinary efforts to save Jews during the Holocaust.
“These places tell the stories of the atrocities, but also the stories of hope. Alongside the unimaginable cruelty of the Nazis, there were those who chose humanity and saved lives. We must continue to tell these stories so that the world remembers, learns, and does not repeat the mistakes of the past,” said Danon.
Danon has led delegations of U.N. envoys to Poland before, once in 2018 and also last year.
