Willful blindness at the UN

Last month, the United Nations marked the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to Victims of Terrorism with an exhibit about global victims of terrorism in the entrance hall of its New York headquarters. The exhibit was extensive and moving, but had a striking omission — there was not a single reference to any act of terrorism against Israelis, not even in light of last October’s mass terrorist attack by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in which 1,125 were murdered, including four Filipinos, and over 250 were taken hostage. Among the captives were two Filipinos who were thankfully released after enduring the terror in captivity.

The UN may well have been reluctant to highlight these brutal acts due to its own complicity in this terrorism. As has been well-documented, young Palestinians are indoctrinated to martyrdom and terror in UN-run schools; UN offices, schools, and medical facilities are regularly used to house and shield terrorist bases; and, most shockingly of all, UNRWA employees actively participated in the barbaric atrocities of October 7th.

But this blindness to terror when directed against Israel is not limited to exhibitions within the UN building. It finds expression in the very work of the UN itself. A striking example is the adaptation this week of the “Resolution on Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory…,” in the General Assembly. The resolution, which seeks to give teeth to a non-binding advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), demonstrates the same willful blindness as the exhibit, airbrushing out of its picture any hint of terrorism against the people of Israel.

In the fantasy world of the resolution, thousands of missiles have not been fired against Israelis by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad from areas Israel evacuated in Gaza. Thousands more have not been fired by Hezbollah from areas Israel withdrawn from in Lebanon. Absent too are repeated attacks from Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and, most notably, from the instigator and orchestrator of these proxies, Iran itself. Presenting this make-believe scenario, the resolution calls on states not to provide Israel with the basic weapons and ammunition it needs to protect its civilians, depriving it of the right to protect itself and its citizens, one of the fundamental rights of all states under the UN charter.

The resolution’s blithe call for Israel to withdraw unconditionally from the territories from which it is currently being attacked, similarly turns a blind eye to the reality of a mass network of terror tunnels and missile depots in Gaza. It makes no mention of the painstakingly negotiated agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, which give Israel the right to remain and defend itself in the face of such violations. And it obscures the simple fact that, 19 years ago in Gaza, Israel did precisely what the resolution asked for: a full withdrawal, and the result was not peace but catastrophe.

The need and right of Israelis to be protected from attack is only one aspect of the resolution’s blindness. It levels the charge of racial segregation and apartheid uniquely against Israel, ignoring the fact that Israel’s Arab citizens, who make up over 20 percent of the country’s population, not only have equal rights under the law, but also participate actively in academia, business, and healthcare, and serve in the Knesset and the Supreme Court. The rescue by Israel’s Defense Forces of Farhan Al-Qadi, an Israeli-Arab Muslim held for more than 300 days in captivity by Hamas, is a striking example of the moral gulf between the two sides.

The resolution shows no awareness of the rights or needs of Palestinians either. Ignoring the fact that Israeli businesses within the Judea and Samaria are crucial for providing employment and income to Palestinians and their families, it calls for an economic boycott. And by calling for Hamas’ brutal regime to be left unchallenged in Gaza, it becomes complicit in Hamas’ denial of basic rights to Palestinians through the abuse of schools and hospitals, the massive theft of international aid, and the violent repression of free speech.

Similarly, the resolution’s call to convene a meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention on occupied territories fails to recognize that, despite the many cases of occupation throughout history, such a meeting has only ever been called in relation to Israel, which is one of the only countries ever to have applied the provisions of the Convention in practice.

The resolution contradicts the fundamental principle upon which all the previous peace agreements and arrangements between Israel and its neighbors were predicated: that the resolution of the conflict can only be reached through direct negotiations between the parties. Instead, this resolution will only serve to move us further away from peace.

The Palestinian Authority, which initiated the resolution, is not pursuing peace; rather its aim is to undermine Israel’s legitimacy through political manipulations. True peace will only be achieved through direct bilateral negotiations, and the Palestinian Authority cannot circumvent this reality by exploiting to international tribunals.

There is an important role to be played by the international community in addressing the heartbreaking suffering in the current conflict. But if it is to play such a role, it must begin by opening its eyes to the reality. Passing this resolution will not only fail to bring peace any closer but also sends a message that, with regard to the terrorism of Hamas, the UN prefers to reward rather than denounce it.