UN chief vows to combat anti-Semitism and racism

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 18:24:28|Editor: Song Lifang
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JERUSALEM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Jerusalem's Holocaust memorial museum on Monday, pledging commitment to combating anti-Semitism and racism.

Guterres laid a wreath in Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust museum and signed the guestbook.

"As UN Secretary-General, I'm committed to combating anti-Semitism," he said. "I wish to praise every person who works and preserves this exceptional museum," he added.

Guterres landed in the Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv on Sunday night for a three-day visit, seeking to find ways to revive the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

His itinerary includes meetings with Israel's President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before he will travel to the West Bank city of Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

He is also scheduled to meet with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the military's intelligence chief, Herzi Levi, and other senior security officials, who plan to show him evidence of Iran's alleged attempt to achieve a stronghold in Syria.

This is Guterres' first visit to the region since taking office in January. The visit comes amidst tensions between Israel and the UN.

Israel was outraged by a resolution taken by the UN's cultural agency UNESCO that, according to Israel, did not acknowledge the Jewish ties to Jerusalem.

Israel also often criticizes the UN peacekeeping force for not taking a harsh stance on the Iran-backed militia of Hezbollah on the Lebanon-Israel border.

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