Avner Shalev, Chairman of Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, addressed the recent chemical weapons attack in the Syrian city of Douma east of Damascus, during which dozens of civilians were killed after being exposed to sarin nerve gas.
Speaking at a seminar for the State Attorney’s Office held at Yad Vashem, Shalev asserted that the attack in Syria showed that the mechanisms established after the Holocaust to prevent crimes against humanity are proving unsuccessful, and called on the international community “not to stand on the sidelines” in the fight against human suffering.
"In light of the horrific scenes in the last few days of the massacre of civilians, including children, in the chemical weapons attack in Syria, it seems that the mechanisms and bodies that the international community established after the Holocaust to prevent the recurrence of crimes against humanity are failing.
“The shocking sights we are witnessing beyond the border are made possible and sustainable by the world’s indifference. I call on the international community not to stand on the sidelines, to act with determination, to put an end to human suffering and to provide humanitarian aid to the victims. "