Israel Matzav

Ayalon reacts to 'Palestinian' condemnation of his video

Today (Monday, 25th July 2011), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon reacted to condemnation by the Palestinian Authority over his video titled 'The Truth About the West Bank'. The Palestinian Authority released an official press release claiming that the video was a "cynical and falsified account of history and international law". Chief Palestinian negotiator Dr. Saeb Erakat demanded an official explanation for the video.

Deputy Minister Ayalon said that the video is clearly worrying the Palestinians as it challenges their narrative. "For too long the Palestinian narrative of international law and rights has gone unchallenged and this over the top reaction to a public diplomacy video proves that they are acting like spoilt children who have had their way for too long," Ayalon said. "They are unable to challenge a single fact in the video and have completely avoided a legitimate and honest discussion on the issues."

In the press release, Erekat claims that Israel was accepted to the United Nations on the basis of UN General Assembly Resolution 181. "This false claims shows that Erekat misconstrues international law and its system proving exactly how misguided the Palestinian attempt to have their unilaterally declared state recognized at the United Nations really is. Israel was admitted as a full United Nations member in 1949 by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273, after a recommendation by the Security Council, because it met all the criteria of statehood, something the Palestinians should bear in mind before they further their confrontational and damaging plan towards September."

"I challenge any of the Palestinian Authority political leadership to a debate on all the issues ahead of September."

The video itself has now reached more than 100,000 views worldwide, including in the Arab world and has been featured on Al Jazeera. There are plans to translate the video into more languages, including Persian. Ayalon said that the reaction to the video has been extremely positive. "I now realize that there has been such a thirst for the truth, not just amongst Israel supporters but also amongst the undecided, and its success has prompted me to think of doing a lot more in this area," Ayalon said.

Labels: al-Jazeera, Danny Ayalon, Palestinian Authority, UN General Assembly Resolution 181

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:56 PM