Israellycool

Ynetnews has a fascinating interview with everybody’s favorite outgoing ambassador to the UN, Dan Gillerman.

There are many interesting anecdotes, including his friendship with Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram, and encounters with the Syrian and Iranian ambassadors. But my favorite is his recollection of an interview on CNN during the Second Lebanon War.

“I was sitting in front of a CNN reporter who accused us of killing hundreds of Lebanese, including dozens of children, while we only lost 54 soldiers. I told her, ‘You really make me feel ashamed and apologize to you for not being able to provide you with more dramatic numbers.’ It was live, and she was pretty shocked.

This story epitomizes Dan Gillerman’s approach in my eyes. He was always able to articulate things in such a way, as to show the absurdity of the numerous condemnations of Israel. All the time while being entertaining.

As the Ynet reporter writes:

His addresses at the Security Council during the Second Lebanon War were among the best the organization has seen in recent years, and there are those who even noted that he caused the institution to awake from its boredom.

Former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton wrote in his book “Surrender is not an Option” that the Tanzanian envoy had whispered to him during one of the discussions that he couldn’t understand why the Arabs kept on asking for urgent meetings against Israel – and giving the stage to Gillerman.

Read the whole thing.

Regular readers will know the high esteem in which I hold Israel’s outgoing UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman.

According to this Ha’aretz report, Gillerman has some other, rather unexpected, admirers.

Ambassadors from Arab countries and the Gulf states were among the guests at a reception yesterday for outgoing United Nations Ambassador Dan Gillerman, who is completing a six-year tour of duty. One veteran UN reporter for an American television network told viewers he could not recall such an impressive Arab turnout for a diplomatic event for a senior Israeli official.

The envoys from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Oman were seen at the reception, which took place in the official apartment of the Israeli ambassador in Manhattan.

A particular surprise was the attendance at the party of the Palestinian observer at the UN, Riyad Mansour, the senior Palestinian envoy, who usually eschews Israeli diplomatic events and who embraced Gillerman. At a recent Security Council meeting Gillerman and Mansour exchanged heated remarks.

In his words of thanks at the reception, Gillerman noted his particular appreciation for the Palestinian representative for coming, despite criticism of his doing so.

Gills, thanks for the memories.

Gillerman’s Greatest Hits:

Gotta Love the Gillerman

Gillerman on Carter

Gillerman Again

Gillerman’s the Man

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

He speaketh the truth (hat tip: Shy Guy)

Danny Gillerman, outgoing Ambassador to the United Nations, told the Israel-American Chamber of Commerce, that the U.N. can be “a crazy world.” He joked, “You know you’re in a crazy world when world’s greatest rapper is white, the world’s greatest golfer is black, the world’s greatest soldiers are Jewish, Germany doesn’t want to go to war, and the French accuse the Americans of being arrogant.”

Gillerman said he was proud as an Israeli when he appeared in the U.N. because he represented “a country that is far better than most member states of the U.N. with the possible exception of the United States.” He also noted that Muslims lead the world in violence and terror.

“Muslims are killing Muslims. When Christians kill Muslims, it’s the Crusades. When Jews kill Muslims it’s murder, and when Muslims kill Muslims, it’s like talking about the weather. Nobody really cares about it,” he said.