A clip of an Israeli representative apparently tearing a 20-page United Nations report documenting Israel’s violation of human rights is viral on social media in the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Editor-in-chief of propaganda outlet Sudarshan News, Suresh Chavhanke, tweeted the video. Lauding the representative’s move, Chahanke wrote, “The UN had issued a 20-page human rights violation notice to Israel. During a representative’s appearance on the UN stage, they took the notice, tore it, and threw it away, stating that terrorists have no human rights. They emphasized that if the entire world stands against jihadists in this manner, terrorism can be eradicated from the face of the Earth” in Hindi. (Archive)
मर्दों वाली बात 💪🏼
UN ने इजरायल को २० पन्नों का मानवाधिकार उल्लंघन नोटिश दिया था। #Israel के प्रतिनिधि UN स्टेज पर आये नोटिश को हाथ में लिया और ये कहकर फाड़कर फेंक दिया की आतंकवादियों का कोई मानवाधिकार नहीं होता ⚔️ संपूर्ण विश्व इस तरह जिहादियों के विरूद्ध खड़ा हो तो… pic.twitter.com/yyZNQ7Wdgi
— Suresh Chavhanke “Sudarshan News” (@SureshChavhanke) October 18, 2023
User @peldijiye tweeted the video with the same claim and garnered close to 3500 likes on Twitter. (Archive)
यूनाइटेड नेशन में इसराइल को समन किया गया कि उसने मानवाधिकार का उल्लंघन किया है उसे 20 पन्नों की रिपोर्ट दी गई
इसराइल के प्रतिनिधि 2 मिनट के लिए स्टेज पर आए और जो उनके ऊपर आरोप लगाए गए थे
वह आरोप पत्र फाड़े और बोले कि यह तुम्हारी रिपोर्ट अपने स्थान विशेष में बत्ती बनाकर घुसेड… pic.twitter.com/lrNlt8ILAx— ठरकी लेहरू (@peldijiye) October 17, 2023
A @MrSharmaSpeaks also tweeted the video with the same claim and remarked, “57 countries with green flags could do nothing about it. This is how a strong and powerful country answers” (Archive)
United Nations summoned Israel and gave them a report on human rights violations.
Israeli repeantative come on the stage, tore the report and went away.
57 countries with green flags could do nothing about it. This is how a strong and powerful country answers. pic.twitter.com/5WuTHLMkrM
— Mr Sharma (@MrSharmaSpeaks) October 18, 2023
User @RhedGreat tweeted the same video with the same claim, lauding Israel for the move. The video garnered over 6500 likes. (Archive)
इजराइल ने कहा अपनी human rights वाली रिपोर्ट की बत्ती बनाकर अपनी स्थान विशेष में डाल ले UN
और रिपोर्ट को फाड़ दिया सबके के सामने pic.twitter.com/igoq7QRu97— Ex Secular #RHED (@RhedGreat) October 17, 2023
Several other users (including verified ones) have also tweeted the same video with similar claims, linking it to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. (Archives- 1, 2, 3)
The video is also viral on Facebook.
Fact Check
Upon a relevant keyword search, we found a Times of Israel report on this incident, dated October 30, 2021, containing a screengrab from the viral video. According to the report, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan (seen in video) had chastised the United Nations Human Rights Council on October 29, 2021, for its disproportionate condemnation of Israel, tearing up the organization’s annual report while at the podium.
The Israeli envoy had slammed the UNHRC for its “obsessive anti-Israel bias” during a special session at which the council presented its annual report. “Since the establishment of the council 15 years ago, it has decided to blame and condemn Israel not 10 times like Iran or 35 times like Syria,” Erdan had said. “The Human Rights Council has attacked Israel with 95 resolutions. Compared to 142 against all other countries combined.” Remarking that the report’s only place was “in the dustbin of antisemitism”, Erdan ripped it up and left the podium.
Erdan had also tweeted a portion of his speech as part of a thread. “Today, I addressed the @UN General Assembly and spoke out against the baseless, one-sided, and outright false accusations from the Human Rights Council’s annual report” his tweet read. The viral clip starts from the 1:02 minute mark of the tweeted video. Below is a transcription of the entire video:
“It was on this stage, at this very body, that the very right of the Jewish people to have a national home was itself declared to be racist. A decision that was justly overturned. A decision that Israel’s ambassador at the time, Chaim Herzog, tore up before the United Nations- and this is exactly what should be done to this antisemitic, distorted, one-sided report. For just as that 1975 resolution, equating Zionism with racism was itself a gross form of anti-Jewish racism, which has no place in this international body. So to, the Human Rights Council’s obsessive anti-Israel bias, embodied, once again, by this report. And it should have no place in anybody concerned with human rights, security or peace. Its only place is in the dustbin of antisemitism, and that is exactly how we shall treat it.” Erdan then tears the report.
Today, I addressed the @UN General Assembly and spoke out against the baseless, one-sided, and outright false accusations from the Human Rights Council’s annual report. 1/8 pic.twitter.com/b4YIv2jGaK
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 29, 2021
Hence, an old video of Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan tearing up an UNHRC report during a special session in October of 2021, is viral now with users linking the incident with the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
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