Family of murdered Otniel woman to stage protest at UN
Husband, daughter of Dafna Meir: We come here with broken hearts
NEW YORK – The widower and daughter of terrorist victim Dafna Meir will speak at the United Nations on Monday to protest the world body’s silence on Palestinian terrorism.
“We will show the world the truth about Palestinian terror,” Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said. They were invited to the UN by Danon and the non-profit organization One Family.
“It is time for the UN to condemn Palestinian incitement and make clear that there is no difference between terror attacks in France and Belgium and terrorism against Israelis,” he said. “Do Israeli lives matter less?”
Meir was a nurse at Soroka-University Medical Center in Beersheba. She was stabbed to death in her home in Otniel, in the South Hebron Hills, in January. Her attacker was a 15-year-old Palestinian who admitted during the investigation that his decision to commit murder was influenced by his exposure to video clips and other content on Palestinian television and social media.
The mother of six is survived by her husband, Natan, and her children Renana, 17, Akiva, 15, Noa, 11, Ahava, 10, Yair, six, and Yaniv, four. The youngest two are adopted. Renana is accompanying her father to the United Nations.
Ahead of their visit, Natan and Renana said “it is difficult to express in words the deep pain and unbearable longing.”
“This sense of loss breaks our heart and our soul,” they said. “With broken hearts we ask the international community for help.
“We hear those who say that terror is a result of frustration, and we ask – is there anything more frustrating than what we have endured?”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said earlier this year that the Palestinians’ reaction to the “occupation” is “human nature.”
Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, California and Brussels, the Security Council issued 12 condemnations of terrorism. It has however not condemned Palestinian terrorism against Israel.
One Family, an Israeli nonprofit organization that cares for those who have been bereaved or wounded in terrorist attacks, accompanied the Meirs to New York.
“The impact of terrorism can only be understood through the stories of the victims themselves,” Executive Vice Chairwoman Chantal Belzberg said. “We believe that Natan and Renana’s perspective on terror is important to anyone who wants to understand what is happening to the people of Israel, and especially to those who want to put an end to this horror.”
Belzberg added that by bringing them to New York, she hopes to bring this perspective to the world and ultimately defeat terrorism.