OPINION:
The United Nations released the 2023 edition of its annual “Conflict-related sexual violence: Report of the Secretary-General.” Inexplicably, Hamas was not condemned. It was not part of the UN’s official blacklist. It wasn’t even designated accurately as a terrorist group in the report’s section about “Israel and the State of Palestine.”
I was shocked and highly disturbed to learn of this omission amid my Passover celebrations, but I am not surprised. It is glaringly obvious why Hamas was not included on the list. The report was prepared weeks ago, and we must ask ourselves why the report was presented on Passover, perhaps the most widely celebrated of all Jewish holidays. Like Hamas, the UN has great sensitivity for holidays, so long as they aren’t Jewish ones.
Subscribe to have The Washington Times’ Higher Ground delivered to your inbox every Sunday.
Indeed, October 7 was the bloodiest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It is no coincidence that it took place on Simchat Torah, an incredibly joyous holiday on the Jewish and Israeli calendar. Led by Hamas and other unaffiliated terrorists who infiltrated the Gaza-Israel border, the massacre was marked by scale (in one day, some 1,200 people in Israel were murdered; the equivalent death toll would be around 44,000 Americans, almost 15x the number of deaths in September 11th); the terrorists’ glee as they live streamed their horrific massacre; and by the terrorists’ sheer barbarity which included the murder of entire families, elderly people, and children; torture and rampant sexual violence, including rape and gang rape.
In the over 200 days that have passed since October 7, the UN’s Secretary-General António Guterres has certainly been quite busy. He started by blaming Israelis for being attacked by a terror group and even justified Hamas’ stated agenda to commit genocide of the Jewish people. According to António, October 7 “didn’t happen in a vacuum.” Since then, his twisted narrative has become the UN’s guiding light, as the organization has become irresponsibly blinded by Jew hatred.
Under António’s leadership, the UN has become a cesspool of fellow terror apologists and antisemites. We see how he panders to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the spiritual and financial backers of Hamas. Iran launched a wave of over 300 deadly drones and missiles directly towards Israel, but António did little to advocate for the 10 million Israelis that were in harm’s way. Beyond that, Iran is a brutal totalitarian government, which as a policy maims, rapes, tortures, and executes its people when they dissent. Nevertheless, Iran’s appointment to chair the 2023 UN Human Rights Council Social Forum remains intact, as does its chairmanship of the UN Conference on Disarmament.
SEE ALSO: Critical analysis of the UN report on sexual violence against Israelis
Despite the horrific, barbaric, and well-documented crimes Hamas committed on October 7, it took António five months to begrudgingly agree to a half-hearted investigation. This report was submitted by Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. It admitted that there were “reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred” on October 7 as well as to the hostages who were (and likely still are) held in Gaza.
Even so, the report was a classic example of gaslighting.
It minimized, cast doubt on, or denied other reports of violence, as well as eagerly hinted (notably with no evidence) that Israel was also at fault for similar crimes. Further, right before the UN’s report about October 7 came out, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights released a report which sought to call attention to unverified reports of IDF’s abuses against women and girls in Gaza. It is easy enough to forget that OHCHR is headed by none other than Iran, Hamas’ spiritual, ideological, and financial supporter; that is a feature of how the UN is built, and not a bug. The entire spectacle was, quite simply, the cumulation of many months in which the UN systematically minimized, contextualized, ignored, denied, and even occasionally justified Hamas’ barbarity.
On Passover, António shared another report acknowledging the findings of Pramila Patten, yet refrained from blacklisting Hamas. Rather than show moral clarity about right and wrong, he called for further investigation into unfounded allegations of sexual violence committed by Israelis against Palestinian detainees.
After perusing each “Conflict-related sexual violence: Report of the Secretary-General” from the past decade, I noticed that this was the first time that Israel has been accused of sexual violence or misconduct, despite the fact that there were other military operations in the West Bank and Gaza during that period. How illuminating
Like the OHCHR’s report, it is no coincidence that there can only be Israeli victims when other Israelis are accused of committing the same violent acts. It is clear that to the UN, Israel is not a country with its own people, experiences, history, and culture; for people like António, Israel only exists when it is part of a reflection on the “State of” or “Occupied” Palestine.
SEE ALSO: Seeking justice: UN’s troubling bias against Israeli women amid calls for accountability
The same cannot be said of how the UN views Gaza or the West Bank; they have an entire relief agency (UNRWA) for Palestinians alone, and UN Women might as well be called UN Women of Gaza (just check out their Instagram or website). Moreover, the date of the 2023 “Conflict-related sexual violence” report has varied significantly over the years, and so António’s decision to have it released on Passover is either a strong admission of his lack of knowledge about Israel and Jews, or an active decision designed to exclude Israelis and Jews from the discussion.
The UN’s abysmal failings post October 7 is part of a larger pattern where institutions that are supposed to be an illuminating light for all of humanity have abandoned the very people that need to be protected and supported. We see echoes of the UN’s appeasement and fawning over Iran in the current pro-Hamas protestors dotting elite universities’ lush lawns. We have also seen how the encampments had become increasingly vicious and emboldened in their support of Hamas during the week of Passover. Even Iran has praised the protests.
Like the Hamas leadership they so admire, the students’ and professors’ own studies have been financially backed by Qatar. American universities received $4.7 billion between 2001-2021. The irony cannot be lost: we witness Hamas leadership strategically plunging the people they rule into darkness from their five-star hotel rooms in Doha, and elite Columbia students with their $60,000+ annual tuition and matching tents claim to be speaking for the oppressed. Both groups are safe and sound, surrounded by the privilege that excessive wealth all but guarantees.
Like academia and so many other institutions, the UN has become a funhouse mirror – entirely unreliable and guilty of distorting the truth to comical levels. Yet, the UN is unique in the international role it plays, the prestige it carries, and the funding it receives worldwide to uplift humankind. With António as its Secretary-General, the UN has consistently betrayed its mandate. It no longer protects human rights. It does not bring people together, and it does not lead to a more peaceful or secure world. Now is the time to speak up against the false and corrupted narratives the UN systematically perpetrates, and demand trustworthy reports not riddled by personal and political agendas.
For that to happen, António must go.
–
Danielle Ofek is an Israeli activist and a pioneering figure in tech and social entrepreneurship, known for her dynamic approach to gender parity and women’s rights. Recognizing a significant gap in the international community’s response to the sexual violence perpetrated against Israeli women and girls on October 7th, Danielle founded Angle, an initiative aimed at addressing this critical issue.
Angle was born out of a necessity to challenge the prevalent misinformation and biases in the reporting and responses to these incidents. Under Danielle’s guidance, the initiative has been instrumental in redirecting the narrative towards a more accurate and unbiased portrayal of the events.
Over the past six years, Danielle has been actively involved in working with enterprises and corporations, focusing on bridging the gender parity divide. She has been a fervent advocate for encouraging women to ascend to leadership positions, a commitment that is evident in her groundbreaking work.
The #MeToo_Unless_UR_A_Jew campaign is one of Angle’s key projects, launched to bring these pressing issues into the spotlight of international discourse. This campaign reflects Danielle’s dedication to not just highlighting problems but actively seeking solutions and advocating for change.
In 2019, Danielle’s expertise and passion led her to speak at the UN - CSW63. There, she discussed women in tech as part of her project, Parliament51, further showcasing her commitment to empowering women in all sectors. Danielle’s work, both through Angle and her various other initiatives, positions her as a formidable force in the fight for women’s rights and gender equality on the global stage.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.