Israeli To UN: Have You Ever Had To Run For Your Life?

Israeli to UN: Have you ever had to run for your life?

Arutz Sheva Staff

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council held its periodic hearing on the Middle East. In her capacity as president of the Security Council for December, US Ambassador Kelly Craft invited Adele Raemer, a resident of Kibbutz Nirim near Gaza, to address the council. This is the first time an Israeli from the south will speak to the Security Council.

In her address, Ms. Raemer asked the council: "Have you ever had to run for your life? 

When I hear the Red Alert early warning system for incoming rockets, I know that I have between 5-10 seconds to get to someplace safe – regardless of where I am in my little kibbutz house. If I am out, I either throw myself down next to a wall – or just lie down wherever I am, cover my head and hope that whatever falls doesn't fall too close."

"During the 11 rounds of escalated rocket fire that we have had in the past year and a half, there were numerous alerts every single day. 1,800 rockets were launched at our communities during this period. What would any of you do if this number of projectiles was launched over your border?" 

Raemer added that during 2014's Operation Protective Edge, a rocket destroyed her bedroom, and she was saved only because she sought refuge in her home's protected safe room. Addressing Hamas' tunnel network, she called it "sinister and frightening, built with a complex infrastructure for communications and electricity that was developed solely for purposes of death. Can you imagine how our children feel when they know that terrorists could come bursting through a tunnel under our community at any time? The rate of people seeking psychological aid in our region has risen 231% in the past five years...over half have been children."

At the end of her speech, Raemer called on the council's ambassadors to act against Hamas, saying "We all need to be able to raise the next generation to respect our neighbors, not fear them."

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, addressed Ramer's remarks in his speech. "There is an entire generation that has never known a life where they don’t need to be aware at all times of where the closest bomb shelter is. An entire generation that suffers from trauma; from fear that the noise they hear at night is of a terror tunnel being dug under their bed." Addressing those living in Gaza, Danon remarked that "it is indeed hard to be a civilian in the Gaza Strip. In fact, it is hard to be a civilian in all places where the Iranian regime’s tentacles of terror have reached."

US Ambassador Kelly Craft commented: "Far too often we talk about this issue without talking about the human impact from Gaza. This council seems unwilling or unable to see the reality that Israelis live in constant fear of attack. In place, the council tolerates an endless string of condemnations of Israel.

"While condemnations have become very commonplace, what is truly remarkable is the resilience of the Israeli people. Israel is a beacon of light to the world; is it to be condemned? No, it is to be emulated. It is their spirit of resilience that keeps alive the hope for a solution."