Israel and the West must stop trying to reform the UN and build something new instead - opinion
The UN has become like the failed collectivist experiments of the 20th century – the huge old Soviet state enterprises and gargantuan Chinese communist industries
Recent rhetoric from French President Emmanuel Macron, Jordan's King Abdullah, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the United Nations has revealed an abundance of anti-Israel sentiment. This week marked the 25th anniversary of the notorious Durban conference, which ignited a firestorm of anti-Zionism, antisemitism, and anti-Americanism.
The conference birthed a cascade of myths, portraying Israel as a genocidal and apartheid state, and sparked international legal actions against it. The United Nations has since established a vast network of over 30 institutions, mechanisms, and bodies dedicated to the campaign against Israel. A new report by researchers at the Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy details how these structures create a self-reinforcing echo chamber, with independent bodies validating and amplifying each other's findings – almost always anti-Israel and antisemitic.
The UN's resources dedicated to Israel are staggering, with the US alone contributing over $20 billion in 2024 to the UN system. These funds are channeled into bodies that promote corporate blacklists, arms restrictions, and sanctions against Israel, as well as legal claims and investigations. Special Rapporteurs and General Assembly initiatives further fuel this cycle, leading to proceedings before the International Court of Justice.
The authors argue that the danger extends beyond Israel, as these mechanisms develop legal theories, investigative practices, and commissions that could be leveraged against other democratic states. They propose eight courses of action to address this issue, primarily focused on reducing funding for anti-Israel, anti-American, and anti-Western institutions.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
