Tharoor's Record

2005-05-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

I was present at the UN International Media Encounter on the Question of Palestine held in Paris in 2001. Shashi Tharoor had just been appointed to head UNDPI and the decision to include Israel Shamir was made prior to Tharoor's appointment.

During the seminar, Tharoor was rightly appalled at Shamir's rants and roundly criticized him from the podium. Tharoor refused to give Israel Shamir the floor when he raised his hand to respond to other speakers. Tharoor later told me (and his staff) that he would never allow Shamir another platform at any UN event sponsored by the UN's Department of Public Information.

What Tharoor is responsible for, however, is converting the annual seminar into a forum for constructive engagement rather than a platform for the demonization of Israel. Additionally, Tharoor was responsible for the first-ever UN conference on anti-Semitism and he played a key role in the General Assembly Special Session on the Liberation of Auschwitz.