NEW YORK -- Mayor Edward Koch Wednesday called the United Nations a 'cesspool' and said he wants to add an inscription on hypocrisy to a memorial wall located across the street from the organization's headquarters.
A U.N. official suggested the world body might leave New York if the wall were so inscribed.
Koch's criticism of the U.N. referred to a recent resolution condemning Israel for the annexation of the Golan Heights.
The mayor said the U.N. no longer abides by its charter to promote peace and he has been reading the Bible every night to 'find an appropriate quote' for the wall 'so when those U.N. delegates pass they'll take the statement to heart and change.'
The granite wall now bears an admonition from the Book of Isaiah reading, 'They shall beat their swords into plowshares. And their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war any more.'
'Isaiah is a prophet. A prophet inveighs against hypocrisy, inveighs against cravenness, inveighs against injustice,' Koch said.
'The hypocrisy of singling out Israel when you have these murderous countries there sitting in judgement.'
'The hypocrisy of singling out Israel when you have these murderous countries there sitting in judgment.'
Janitschek added, 'If he wants us out, I think we will have to think about it.'
Koch said the thought of altering the wall followed a phone call from Yehudah Bloom, the chief Israeli delegate to the U.N.
Blum, angered by passage of a resolution calling for sanctions against Israel for annexing the Golan Heights, told Koch the presence of the U.N. so close to the words of Isaiah was a disgrace.
New York City owns the wall bearing the inscription.
'I believe,' said Koch, 'it would be more appropriate to add to the statement of Isaiah with some language coming out of the Old Testament which would bear upon the hypocrisy of the cesspool across the street.'
Bloom was not available for comment.
Koch, in criticizing the U.N., first singled out the Soviet Union. 'They killed more people than Nazi Germany,' he said. 'They invaded Afghanistan ... and caused martial law to be imposed in Poland.'
Later, Koch said there were a 'whole host of countries' that 'kill their own citizens' and cannot be regarded as peace loving.
