Presidents Conference: Walk Out of Ahmadinejad’s Speech at U.N.
A major Jewish umbrella organization has called on member states of the United Nations to walk out on a speech by Iran’s president.
Anticipating that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again will seek to address the General Assembly this year, leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations issued a statement asking delegates to leave should Ahmadinejad be allowed to speak before the international body.
The 65th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York starts Sept. 14.
“It is imperative for nations to cherish the values of freedom and mutual respect and absent themselves or walk out if President Ahmadinejad speaks before the U.N. General Assembly,” Presidents Conference Chairman Alan Solow and Executive Vice Chair Malcolm Hoenlein said in the statement. “We are issuing the call well in advance of the UNGA opening session so that nations have a chance to deliberate and ample time to make a decision.
“President Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric has only become more extreme as have the violations of human rights under his government. Optimally, we would like to see Mr. Ahmadinejad denied the opportunity to speak at the UN as he violates its charter by threatening and calling for the elimination of another member state.”
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
