UN Secretary General Ban On Suicide Terror: "Too Many People Have Already Been Killed ... An Unacceptable Political Weapon"

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with leaders of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, one of the largest Jewish rights NGOs, at United Nations Headquarters in New York inresponse to the Wiesenthal Center's international campaign for a UN General Assembly special session on suicide terror. During the 50 minute meeting, theworld's chief human rights official labeled suicide terror, "an unacceptable political weapon" and said he would personally present the initiative to the President of the GeneralAssembly.

For the past four years, the Center has been urging the international community to designate suicide bombing a crime against humanity. In the wake of the bombing last Decemberthat killed former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and at least 20 of her followers, the Center launched an online petition drive to the Secretary General which generatedthousands of signatures from 85 countries including Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan itself. Rabbi Marvin Hier, the Founder and Dean of the Center, pointed out that the UNhas held Special Sessions on important issues including Disarmament, Apartheid, AIDS and the Environment, and that "The time has come to place suicide terror at the topof the international agenda. This scourge is only going to get worse and world must act before it's too late." Rabbi Hier also noted, "no group has escaped suicide terror and thattoday Muslims are the predominant victims of this scourge."

Also discussed were concerns surrounding the so-called Durban II process, with the UN chief saying that countries must avoid repeating the debacle of the Durban I Conferencein 2001 which degenerated into an anti-semitic and anti-American hatefest. Mr. Ban said that Durban II must "galvanize to fight against anti-semitism." TheWiesenthal Center expressed open skepticism that the UN Human Rights Council, which regularly singles out Israel for one-sided condemnation, could properly supervise DurbanII.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Center's Associate Dean presented four pictures drawn by elementary school children from Sderot, the Israeli town that borders the Hamas-runGaza. Despite having no military infrastructure, Sderot is under constant barrage from rockets fired from Gaza. The effect on the town is so great that one psychologist whorecently briefed the Center, stated that 75% of its citizens show symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Secretary General Ban expressed understanding for Israel's right todefend herself against the missile barrages but warned that steps should be taken avoid a humanitarian crisis among Gaza's civilians.

Also attending the meeting were Rabbi Meyer May, the Center's Executive Director and Mark Weitzman who represents the Center at the United Nations.