02/03/2025
Last week capitals of the world, including a solemn vigil at the Place des Nations in Geneva, stood in solidarity as the Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were laid to rest. The international community paid tribute to the terrified mother, clutching her sons, as Palestinian terrorists mercilessly abducted them from their home. Kfir was 9 months old when he was murdered in captivity, his brother Ariel was 4 years old. The images of their abduction resonate to the darkest moments of modern history. The Bibas family has become a tragic symbol of the horrors of October 7th, which Palestinian armed groups vow to repeat.
Daniel Meron, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN in Geneva, said: “It is shocking that, while the world was dressed in orange, grieving together with the Bibas family, the human rights organizations and agencies of Geneva, including the Committee on the Rights of the Child and others, could not find it in themselves to commemorate the victims of terrorism.”
In the presentation of the High Commissioner today, he yet again equated hostages, such as the 9 month old Kfir Bibas, and 84 year old Shlomo Mantzur, both murdered in captivity at the hands of terrorists, with Palestinian detainees.
“This false equivalence is exactly why Israel felt compelled to leave the Council,” says Meron. “Israel will not be able to engage with such mechanisms before a deep and structural reform takes place, eliminating the bias and providing everyone the same treatment.”
