Hamas-Affiliated Organization Invited to UN Conference Eschews Peaceful Coexistence

Speaking at a UN "Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People," held in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 19-20, 2016, the director of a Hamas-affiliated NGO threatened that Palestinians would never forgive or forget Israeli "crimes." Raji Sourani, director of The Palestinian Return Centre, was a featured panelist at the conference, which was sponsored by the UN's Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The Palestinian Return Centre was given UN-accreditation in July 2015, despite having known ties to Hamas. Sourani made no mention of the actual war crimes committed by Hamas against Israel, including suicide bombings, rocket and missile attacks, or using civilians as human shields.

According to the UN's press release, Mr. Sourani noted that "Israel's actions had perpetuated the biggest manmade disaster in modern history... The Palestinians would not forgive or forget the crimes that had been committed against them."

Another invited panelist, Bolivia's ambassador to the UN Sacha Sergio Llorentty Soliz, claimed that Israel's security actions in the face of hundreds of Palestinian stabbing, shooting, and car ramming attacks was itself terrorism.

In the words of the press release:

"Mr. SOLIZ said .. Israel's aggression against Palestine was nothing short of terrorism. "