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Zenger
Zenger
Benjamin Kerstein

End The UN’s Immunity

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivers a statement to the media, during a visit to a UN School in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on August 30, 2017. The United Nations has long been an anti-Israel and antisemitic cesspool, second only perhaps to the fetid underside of social media, though far more dangerous given its enormous transnational power. PHOTO BY MOMEN FAIZ/GETTY IMAGES

The United Nations has long been an anti-Israel and antisemitic cesspool, second only perhaps to the fetid underside of social media, though far more dangerous given its enormous transnational power.

The recent publication of a U.N. report that demonized Israel and its Jewish supporters in unabashedly antisemitic language—and defended antisemitism itself as legitimate criticism of Israel—demonstrated this in no uncertain terms.

In a classic motte and bailey maneuver, the secretary-general declared, “I understand Israel’s legitimate concerns with its security but escalation is not the answer. It simply bolsters radicalization and leads to a deepening cycle of violence and bloodshed.”

This was a remarkable statement even by

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 19: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the “Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction” at the United Nations on June 19, 2023 in New York City. PHOTO BY JOHN LAMPARSKI/GETTY IMAGES © Z News Inc.

 U.N. standards, for several reasons.

First, Israel self-evidently did not use excessive force in Jenin. No one, even the most fervent haters of the Jewish state, has claimed that there was wanton killing of civilians or destruction of civilian property. The number of Palestinians killed was barely more than a dozen, and it appears that all of them were combatants.

Guterres, in other words, was lying, and he almost certainly knew it. He was expectorating a blood libel for the sake of either his own selfish hatreds or to sate the antisemites who constitute the majority of U.N. members and officials.

This is, of course, pure nihilism, but it is also unabashed racism. It privileges one people over another in the most absolute, existential sense. It demonizes the other people without the slightest hint of human empathy. It is not simply immoral or amoral, it is anti-moral.

It is highly unlikely, however, that the U.S. would do such a thing. The U.N. was the brainchild of the U.S. and its diplomats are well-versed enough in history to fear their creation’s demise, given the consequences of the U.S. refusal to join the League of Nations in the early 20th century, which are widely seen as disastrous.

Thus, the U.N. and its officials could be taken to court under the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 for practicing systemic antisemitism. Cases could be brought against antisemitic officials in European countries that have laws against racist hate speech.

Even more important, when U.N. organizations collaborate with terrorist organizations—as UNRWA has done in Gaza—criminal and even war crimes charges could be brought. This would create not only accountability but a deterrence effect that might finally bring an end to the U.N.’s long and sordid alliance with terror.

The U.N. has hidden behind the halo effect for long enough. It’s time for its racists and criminals, and they are legion, to face justice.

 

Produced in association with Jewish News Syndicate

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