New York, NY, November 20, 2003… The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is outraged that Egypt has proposed amendments to the draft Third Committee resolution on the rights of Israeli children to be free from violence that would render the text of the resolution useless. 

Barbara B. Balser, ADL National Chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement delivered to the Egyptian Ambassador to the U.N.:

We are outraged by Egypt's amendments to the draft Third Committee resolution on the rights of Israeli children to be free from violence and terrorism.
 
The resolution recognizes the horrific consequences Palestinian terrorism has had on Israeli children.  Egypt's amendments to the resolution, which include the deletion of the word "Israeli" in the text, are not a constructive effort to enhance the resolution, but an effort to completely negate the meaning and intent of the text.
 
It is unconscionable that Egypt, a country that has a peace treaty with Israel, would deny Israeli children the same rights that Palestinian children were granted in a resolution that passed the Third Committee last week.
 
The basis of Egypt's peace treaty with Israel is the recognition of the legitimacy of both parties.  Egypt's conduct on this matter, however, is inconsistent with its commitments to recognize the rights of Israelis to live in peace and security.    

The original draft of the Third Committee resolution "Stresses the urgent need for Israeli children to live a normal life free from terrorism, destruction and fear," and "Demands that the Palestinian Authority respect it obligations to undertake effective operations aimed at confronting all those engaged in terror and dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure and guarantee that those responsible for terrorist act are brought to justice."   A resolution approved by the Third Committee last week granted the same rights to Palestinian children.

The Egyptian amendments seek to replace the word "Israeli" with "Middle East" and adding the word "occupation" before the mention of terrorism, serving to render the resolution essentially meaningless. 

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.