Israeli Ambassador Counters Mahama’s Position on Slavery as ‘Gravest Crime Against Humanity’
- Israel’s Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad, has explained why Israel opposed Ghana’s United Nations resolution
- He argued that ranking atrocities such as the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide and the Rwandan genocide creates a hierarchy Israel cannot accept
- According to him, Israel and several Western partners urged Ghana to revise the wording but to no avail
The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad, has broken his silence on why Israel voted against Ghana's resolution at the United Nations (UN) that led to the declaration of the slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity.
Speaking to Joy News on Monday, April 13, 2026, Gilad explained that his country voted against the resolution, spearheaded by Ghana's President, John Dramani Mahama, because of the labelling of slavery as the “gravest crime against humanity”.
Source: UGC
In a report sighted on GhanaWeb, the Israeli Ambassador said Israel and many other countries prevailed upon the Government of Ghana to drop the description of slavery as the gravest crime against humanity, but to no avail.
“Of course, the Atlantic slave trade, the Jewish Holocaust, the Armenian genocide by the Ottomans, and the Tutsi genocide by the Hutus in Rwanda, are we to judge which is the gravest and which is less grave?” he questioned.
According to him, this left Israel with no other choice but to vote against Ghana's resolution at the UN.
“It’s only this hierarchy that we could not agree to. There’s no doubt that had the resolution called the Atlantic slave trade one of the gravest, we would have had no problem. We made this very clear to the Ghanaian delegation at the UN, not only us, but also the United States, the UK, the EU, Armenia and many others, and said, just drop ‘the gravest’,” he further explained.
“The gravest’ for us is a problem. We cannot accept such a hierarchy. We cannot say whether the Atlantic slave trade was graver than the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, or the Tutsi genocide, or not. How can you judge what is graver than another?" he added.
Mahama explains how Ghana secured UN resolution
Ghana's resolution to declare the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity won majority support at the United Nations on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Delivering a victory speech, President John Mahama, who championed the reparatory resolution on behalf of the African Union, recounted the events leading up to the UN address.
In a widely circulated video, the Ghanaian president stated that they sought the guidance of their ancestors ahead of the reparatory resolution vote.
Source: UGC
President Mahama explained that before his speech at the UN on the global recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity, he and his team intentionally visited African burial grounds to pray ahead of tabling the reparatory motion.
"Before we went to the UN, we visited the African burial grounds, and we all know the history behind them. We offered Christian prayers, Muslim prayers, and traditional African prayers, poured libation, and called on our ancestors to support us in what we were about to do. I believe they answered our call, and we achieved success," he said.
He added that the reparatory resolution at the UN is not only symbolic but also an honour and a tribute to the ancestors who endured centuries of brutality, displacement, and dehumanization.
"Our ancestors must be rejoicing in their graves. Despite all the torture and adversity they endured, they must be happy that the world has recognized this day," he said.
How nations voted on Ghana's reparatory motion
At the end of the vote, 123 nations supported the resolution, 3 voted against it, and 52 abstained.
The three dissenting nations were the United States, Argentina, and Israel, while EU countries made up the majority of abstentions.
Countries like the UK have long rejected paying reparations, arguing that present-day nations and institutions cannot be held responsible for past wrongs.
The motion, presented on March 25, 2026, called for a renewed international commitment to reparative justice for African nations and the descendants of enslaved people.
It urged UN member states to engage in structured dialogue and concrete actions aimed at acknowledging and addressing the enduring social, economic, and cultural impacts of slavery.
American applauds Mahama for leading UN resolution
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that an African-American man praised President John Mahama for slave trade reparations and recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity.
According to the man, Ghanaians must be proud of President Mahama for not being like other leaders who take handovers from the US and Western countries.
Ghanaians on social media who watched the video on social media thronged the comment section to share their varied thoughts on the matter.
Source: YEN.com.gh
