In a thoughtful but firm message, Israel’s Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad, explained why his country voted against a major UN resolution pushed by Ghana.
The resolution, which passed overwhelmingly on March 30, 2026, with 123 countries in favor, officially recognizes the transatlantic slave trade as one of the gravest crimes against humanity. It also encourages nations to apologize and support reparations efforts. Only three countries voted no — the United States, Argentina, and Israel — while 52 abstained.
modernghana.comIsrael made it clear they’re not denying the horror of slavery. In their statement, they acknowledged “the unparalleled scale and cruelty” of the transatlantic slave trade and its lasting impact on millions of African lives and their descendants.
However, they had a big problem with calling it the gravest crime against humanity. Here’s why, in plain terms:They worry that labeling one atrocity as the absolute worst creates a kind of “hierarchy” of suffering.
This, they believe, could unintentionally downplay other terrible crimes in history — especially the Holocaust, where millions of Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazis. Israel feels strongly that all crimes against humanity should be treated with equal gravity, without ranking them.