World Jewish Congress marks 24th anniversary of AMIA bombing, underscores need for clear recognition of Hezbollah as terrorist organization

BUENOS AIRES –  The World Jewish Congress commemorated the 24^th anniversary of the bombing of the AMIA building in Buenos Aires which killed 85 people and wounded 300 with a series of events. Secretary General of the Organization of American States Luis Almagro, who took part in the commemorations at the invitation of the WJC and its Latin American affiliate, said in his address to the main ceremony: “We are drowning in an ocean of impunity and injustice. Iran has a clear part in this injustice, as evident from its lack of cooperation with the justice system. This cannot be permitted.” 

Almagro also told the Jewish community that could “unconditionally count on the OAS”.

“The OAS will always be on your side, doing everything in its reach to fight against hate and indifference, and to denounce intentional obstacles that do not allow the investigation to move forward,” Almagro said.

Speaking in New York, WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer said: “More than two decades after the deadliest terrorist attack in Latin American history, the indiscriminate hand of fundamentalist terror continues to target innocent people worldwide. Nobody is immune to this violence which is aimed at western civilization as a whole, and all of the democratic institutions we cherish.”

“Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have still not been brought to justice for the terror they inflicted in Latin America, and in so many other places in the world. We must encourage government authorities to fight and defeat this 21st century scourge and its broad network within the ideology of terror. As I noted just a few months ago at the OAS, it is imperative that Hezbollah be clearly recognized by all as a terrorist organization,” Singer said.

The Latin American Jewish Congress also held a symbolic gathering on 17 July for survivors and the relatives of victims from different terrorist attacks around the world, including Nice, New York, London, Paysandú and Buenos Aires, in an effort to highlight the human dimension of the tragic impact of terrorism. 

In addition to Almagro, the event was also attended by the Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, María Eugenia Vidal, and the Secretary of Human Rights and Cultural Pluralism of Argentina, Claudio Avruj.

Adrián Werthein, President of the Latin American Jewish Congress told the gathering of terror victims:  "Terrorist events take place, analyses are carried out, damages and victims are quantified, but sometimes we lose focus on the other victims, the survivors, on how their lives change and how those families are rebuilt… The survivors of terrorist attacks are a source of testimony to the vast and real dimension of this scourge. On a societal level, it is our duty to support them.

Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the OAS, said:  "The wounds that arise from terrorism remain open and that is why it is our responsibility never to allow anti-Semitism to flourish ... we cannot allow the ash of hatred to destroy our societies.”