United Nations
United NationsReuters

In an unprecedented move, Hagai El-Ad, Director of the leftist organization B’Tselem, will appear before the United Nations Security Council.

The Security Council is scheduled to hold its quarterly discussion about the Middle East this coming Thursday, October 18. The discussion will include an overview of the current situation by the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, as well as speeches by Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon, Palestinian Authority (PA) envoy Riyad Mansour and United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who will participate for the last time in this debate.

The Bolivian Ambassador to the United Nations, who is also serving as President of the Security Council this month, has invited the Director of B’Tselem to address the Council during the debate, as a representative of civil society, and this will be the first time that he will participate in an official and influential Security Council debate.

In response to this move, Ambassador Danon said on Saturday night, “B’Tselem, which has already proven that it cooperates with Israel’s enemies, is now working with a country that has called IDF soldiers ‘murderers.’ This is a shame and a disgrace for the organization. It is also crossing a red line for foreign countries with anti-Israel agendas to finance and invite this organization to deliver ‘testimony’ against us.”

“Therefore, in this discussion, we will expose not only the lies and incitement of the Palestinians, but also those of Hagai El-Ad and B’Tselem. We will continue to defend Israel and the truth,” he added.

Two years ago, El-Ad appeared before the Security Council and blasted Israel’s “occupation” of Judea and Samaria.

El-Ad’s appearance was condemned by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who described B’Tselem as a “delusional little organization” and later ordered that the national service law be amended so that it will no longer be possible to do national service with B'Tselem.

Israel’s response to El-Ad’s move was met with condemnation from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the “Palestinian territories”.