(JTA) — The United Nations said it will hold a global conference of terror victims while commemorating the 25th anniversary of the attack on the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The U.N. said the aim of the conference will be to come up with concrete recommendations on how member states can deal with terror.
Its undersecretary general of counterterrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, announced the conference on Monday at U.N. headquarters in New York. The conference will bring together victims, member states, experts and civil organizations, according to the announcement.
The ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the AMIA bombing is among a series of more than 20 such events being held in major cities around the world. Monday’s event was organized by the World Jewish Congress and Argentina’s government.
“I stand here today requesting from the Argentina government to continue to seek justice, call for Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, to be brought to justice,” WJC North America Chair Evelyn Sommer said.
AMIA President Ariel Eichelbaum evoked a biblical phrase, saying, “justice, justice, you will pursue.”
No one has been convicted in the bombing that left 85 people dead and hundreds wounded. Argentina and Israel have long pointed the finger at Tehran, implicating several former Iranian officials, and Hezbollah in the AMIA attack and also in the March 17, 1992 terrorist attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires that killed 29 and injured more than 200.
“The attack wasn’t only a strike against the Jewish community, but against the people of Argentina, freedom and democracy,” Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said. “We need to fight against anti-Semitism with tenacity.”
The series of AMIA commemorations opened in Santiago, Chile, on June 4 and will continue through July 18, the day of the bombing in 1994, culminating with an official ceremony in Buenos Aires.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
