After Secretary-General’s Comments, Experts Point to History of UN’s Anti-Semitism

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday that the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, which killed approximately 1,400 people, “did not happen in a vacuum.” Although Guterres claimed his statement was “misinterpreted,” Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan insisted, “Every person understands very well that the meaning of his words is that Israel has guilt for the actions of Hamas.” He added, “[A]t the very least, it shows his understanding for the background leading up to the massacre.”

Tal Heinrich, spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shared on Tuesday, “This is nothing new, this crazy double-standard. What the U.N. secretary-general said that this Hamas attack … didn’t come in a ‘vacuum.’ That is mind-boggling.”

She continued, “Can you imagine the U.N. secretary-general saying such a terrible sentence after the 9/11 attack? That the 9/11 attack didn’t come in a vacuum? That the Pearl Harbor attack didn’t come in a vacuum? That the Boko Haram kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria in 2014 didn’t come in a vacuum?” She concluded that Guterres’s comments reflect “insanity,” and said “the civilized world must stand with Israel in its war against terrorism. The message that a U.N. secretary-general must send out is that terrorism is a dead end.”

Israel called for Guterres to resign due to his remarks. Unless he is willing to apologize, Israeli officials said the “U.N. is failing” and Guterres has “lost all morality and impartiality.” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said, “There are not two sides to this. There is only one side to support.”

On Wednesday’s episode of “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins,” Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) reminded people thatd the U.N. has a history of “biased and anti-Semitic activities, whether it be UNRWA, the U.N. Human Rights Council, and now … Secretary-General Guterres.”

Smith previewed a hearing he’s holding on November 8, specifically focused on the United Nations to emphasize its “very, very aggressively bigoted view in all of its manifestations towards the state of Israel.” “Under Biden,” he said, “we’ve provided about $1 billion to the schools [in Gaza] which just promote anti-Semitism 24/7. … So, the culture of hate is promulgated every single day and taught to the next generation.”

During the interview, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins highlighted President Biden’s comments, which suggested that “when [the] crisis is over, a vision of what comes next … [is] a two-state solution.” But “this two-state solution idea,” Perkins noted, “is what brought us to Gaza and turning control of Gaza over to Hamas.”

“You know,” Smith added, “the Israelis turned [Gaza] over in an exchange for peace. And they got nothing from it except terrorism and war.” He continued, “So a two-state solution, it’s been tried, it’s been tested, and it’s an utter failure.”

Arielle Del Turco, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at FRC, shed light on the tension in the U.N. with The Washington Stand. Israel is not only facing criticism around the globe, but “Israel is used to being bullied by the U.N.,” she said. “But this time Guterres went too far for Israeli officials to tolerate.”

She continued, “In the wake of one of the worst attacks in Israel’s history … Guterres implied that Israel deserved the attack and that he understood Hamas’s motivation.” By saying the attacks “did not happen in a vacuum,” Guterres suggested Israel shares the blame, and for Del Turco, “This type of speech is wholly unacceptable and dangerous, and calls for Guterres’s resignation are warranted.”

Only days ago, Guterres called for a ceasefire to “to ease epic suffering” in the Gaza strip. “When Guterres called for a ceasefire,” Del Turco added, “he essentially told the Israeli government that they should not target and eliminate Hamas. It is unrealistic and unfair to tell Israel to not take military action after a massive attack. Meanwhile, Israel is in a very vulnerable situation.”

Like Smith, Del Turco emphasized the history of anti-Semitism in the U.N. She stated, “The U.N has multiple committees and divisions within the U.N., the primary goal for each of which seems to be to criticize Israel.” She concluded, “Although there are numerous pressing human rights crises around the world, including those in Armenia, Nigeria, North Korea, China, and elsewhere, none get a fraction of the scrutiny and attention that the U.N. heaps on Israel.”

For Smith, anti-Semitism runs deep in the U.N., but it runs even more blatantly in the blood of Hamas. He stated, “The Hamas charter in 1988 makes very clear,” which was reiterated in 2017, “that there is no Israel. It will be done away with. So, they’re saying it … [and they] act on it. They kill people, innocent people.”

Perkins asked the question: “When are we going to start believing what these people [Hamas] say?” He added, “I mean, this goes all the way back to Adolf Hitler. Nobody wanted to believe what he was saying. … [Hamas is] doing exactly what they said they were going to do.”