Israeli and German ambassadors say Holocaust denial threatens peaceful co-existence worldwide. They are appealing to the UN to condemn Holocaust denial on the 80th anniversary of the Wannsee Conference, where Nazis discussed the extermination of European Jews.
On Thursday, January 20, Israel and Germany will appeal to the UN General Assembly to unanimously adopt a resolution that rejects and condemns any kind of Holocaust denial, reports the Deutsche Welle.
German ambassador to Israel Susanne Wasum-Rainer and Israeli ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoaoff have published a joint appeal before the Thursday UN meeting in New York.
„This resolution is meant to be a sign of hope and inspiration for all states and societies that stand up for diversity and tolerance, strive for reconciliation and understand that remembering the Holocaust is essential to prevent such crimes from happening again,” the two diplomats wrote.
The two ambassadors claim that Holocaust denial is an attack on victims and their descendants, and every Jewish people. Moreover, it is a violation of „the basic condition of peaceful societies and peaceful coexistence worldwide.”
The appeal was intentionally set on the date of the 80th anniversary of the Wansee Conference, during which Nazi leaders discussed the systematic extermination of the European Jewish population of 11 million.
The UN resolution proposes a uniform definition of antisemitism and investment in education and awareness-raising, also urging social media companies to take active steps to combat Holocaust denial.
The UN General Assembly designated January 27, the day of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges all EU member states to honour the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism.