Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor on Thursday called upon the international community to condemn the recent terrorist attacks against Israeli diplomats around the world.
In a letter to UN Secretary General UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council (UNSC), Prosor requested that a strong and clear message be transmitted to Iran, who he said, is directly responsible for the actions. Prosor was referring to bomb attacks on diplomatic targets in Georgia and India earlier in the week, as well as explosions in Thailand that Thai Defense officials said were aimed at Israeli targets.
In the letter, Prosor also sharply attacked the UNSC'S conduct. "You should have condemned the terrorist attacks on Israeli diplomats ad they occurred," wrote Prosor. "We expect a sharp, clear condemnation, today, without any delay. The Security Council must take practical steps against Iran, Hezbollah and terrorist infrastructures that collaborate with them across the world."
The move is reminiscent of action Saudi Arabia initiated in the world body in November after the US uncovered an Iranian plot to kill Riyadh’s envoy to Washington.
In November, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution by a vote of 106- 9 deploring the plot to kill the Saudi envoy in Washington, and calling on Iran to cooperate in bringing those responsible to justice. The resolution also called on Iran to respects its obligations in protecting diplomats.
Patrick Clawson, research director at Washington’s Institute for Near East Policy, told The Jerusalem Post that this resolution provided an opening for Israel to go to the UN and again get it to discuss Iranian involvement in these types of activities, and further isolate Iran.
The Foreign Ministry’s drafting of the letter came shortly after the security cabinet, holding a regularly scheduled Wednesday meeting, discussed the spate of bombing attacks, and received a briefing on “preventive measures” taken against the “Iranian terror attacks.”
According to a statement released after the meeting, security officials presented the senior ministers with a report of Iran’s’ “deep involvement” in repeated efforts to attack Israeli targets around the world.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, urged the world to unequivocally condemn Tehran for its attacks on Israeli diplomats abroad, saying that if this phenomenon was not nipped in the bud immediately, it would spread.
“Iran is the largest exporter of terrorism in the world,” Netanyahu said at a meeting in the Knesset in honor of visiting Croatian President Ivo Josipovic.
“Iran’s terrorist activities are currently evident to everyone,” he said. “Iran is undermining the stability of the world. It is attacking innocent diplomats around the world. The countries of the world must condemn these acts and draw a red line against Iranian aggression.”
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, during a meeting with Josipovic and his Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic, also urged the West to respond decisively to Iran’s behavior, “because just as we have seen in the past, the Jews are the convenient first target for crazy dictatorships, but not the last.”
Liberman said the series of attacks carried out in recent days against Israel’s embassies in India, Georgia and Thailand were further proof that Iran is “the most damaging element to world peace.”