On Monday, members of the United Nations Security Council held a moment of silence to commemorate the death of the Islamic Republic’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed with several other regime officials in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
At the request of Algeria, China, and Russia, the powerful committee’s chair, Pedro Comissário Afonso of Madagascar, asked the assembled to “stand and join in observing a minute of silence in remembrance of the loss of life in the helicopter crash of the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, the minister of foreign affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and all passengers, and to present its condolences and sympathy to their families and the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Pictures from the event showed U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood participating in the memorialization along with the other diplomats in attendance.
Israel’s representative to the world body, Gilad Erdan, described the gesture as “disgraceful.”
“I expressed shock and disgust that the Security Council held a moment of silence yesterday in memory of the mass murdering President Raisi of Iran. What’s next? Will the Council hold a moment of silence for Bin Laden? Will there be a vigil for Hitler? We wouldn’t be surprised!" Erdan posted on X along with an official statement in English denouncing the measure.
I expressed shock and disgust that the Security Council held a moment of silence yesterday in memory of the mass murdering President Raisi of Iran. What’s next? Will the Council hold a moment of silence for Bin Laden? Will there be a vigil for Hitler? We wouldn’t be surprised!… pic.twitter.com/nZnXx27sCU
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) May 21, 2024
The Israeli envoy continued to demonstrate his distaste of the matter, taking issue with an additional observance of the incident, the lowering of the U.N. flag to half-mast in the terrorist’s honor at the institution’s New York City headquarters.
‼️ You have to see it to believe it: today, the UN lowered its flag in honor of Iran’s mass-murdering President and Foreign Minister. Unbelievable!
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) May 21, 2024
This is beyond disgraceful. It is an offense to true supporters of human rights worldwide.
The next time the UN issues a… pic.twitter.com/2wEaDceCzz
Related Story: U.S. Gives Condolences on Death of Iranian President Despite Alleged Human Rights Abuses
