For the first time since the beginning of the war in Gaza, the family of an Israeli hostage will participate in an official discussion of the United Nations Security Council. Wednesday's meeting, on the subject of the situation in the Middle East, will be attended by Michael Levy, the brother of Or Levy, who was abducted from the Nova music festival during the October 7 massacre. His invitation to the discussion was made possible after many efforts by Israel and UN Ambassador Danny Danon, and thanks to an invitation by the American delegation.
Or was kidnapped 438 days ago; on the same day, his wife Einav was murdered, and their son Almog, only 3 years old, is being raised by family members until his father returns.
Michael Levy will brief the Security Council at the beginning of the session, which is chaired by the new president of the UN Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
This is an unprecedented event, since families of the hostages as of yet have not been granted permission to speak before the Security Council in an official council debate.
"After a long struggle and thanks to the willingness of the U.S. delegation, we were able for the first time to bring the family of hostage Or Levy to brief the Security Council ambassadors in an official council debate," Danon said. "We will continue to fight until all the hostages emerge from the darkness of Hamas' tunnels into the light. We will not wait for a miracle and we will not leave the fate of the hostages in the hands of the UN."
Michael Levy said he was invited to speak because the U.S. currently holds the council's rotating presidency.
"I was contacted by one of the assistants to the U.S. ambassador in New York; She said they had seen my interviews. This is the first time the U.S. has been president of the Security Council since the start of the war, and until now no family member has spoken in this forum. The other countries would not have invited us," he said.
The kidnapping of Hersh Goldberg-Pollin, Or Levy and Elia Cohenן
(Courtesy of Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
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"I'm still working on what I'm going to say, there are no big secrets here. I'm talking about the personal aspect, not politics. There's an opportunity now to make things happen, and their silence screams. This is their commitment as diplomats and especially as human beings. If they accept this situation, they are saying that some people's lives are more important than others' lives."
"Tomorrow is my birthday," he added, "and this will be the second time I haven't celebrated a birthday. My life has stopped. I will talk about Or, about his son, Almog, and what it is like to be the family of a kidnapped person."
"I mostly know nothing, and it's terrible. I only know what every citizen knows. Now there is some kind of peak, I assume something is happening, you don't have to be a great genius for that. What, how and who is on the list - that's a good question. Or is a humanitarian case, but I assume he won't be in the first stage. It doesn't sound like Israel insisted enough on this, but I would be very happy to be wrong. I hope we will know in the coming days. I am not in favor of a partial deal, and it has nothing to do with my brother. Even if he is released first, it's time to get everyone out because if they keep waiting - there will be no one to get out," he said.