12 September 2006
Following the refusal of the Government of Sudan to allow UN peacekeeping troops into the country, Yad Vashem is increasingly alarmed by the deteriorating situation in Darfur. Yad Vashem is distressed that the international community, led by the UN Secretary General, seems unable or unwilling to take the necessary steps to stop the murderous events taking place in Darfur.
The fact that the Holocaust occurred, and was then followed by other genocides, demonstrates that the world must take seriously the early signs and threats of genocide. As the world watches genocide take place in Darfur, and is confronted by similar threats elsewhere, it must take decisive action. To remain indifferent makes a mockery of the very treaties and conventions it had vowed to uphold. “Whosoever saves one life, it is though if he has saved an entire world.” To stand back, and let millions of lives be extinguished, is to sacrifice the future of the civilized world.
