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Disgraceful UN Vote Is a Day That Will Live in Infamy
The United Nations logo is seen at the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit at UN headquarters in New York, U.S., September 23, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Monday was a very dark day for the Western world. The attempt by the United Nations Security Council to impose a ceasefire on Israel without condemning Hamas for instigating the current war, or insisting on the immediate return of Israeli hostages before a ceasefire begins — is perhaps the greatest injustice ever imposed on any country since the creation of the United Nations in the wake of the Second World War.
Since its establishment in 1945, the United Nations has ostensibly aimed to be the fulcrum of global peace and security, intervening in conflicts to halt wars and foster negotiations. However, the decision by the UN Security Council to mandate a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, without condemning the latter for initiating the hostilities on October 7 , marks a stark departure from historical precedents. It is also galling hypocrisy to use Ramadan as a foil for this resolution, when Hamas deliberately chose a Jewish festival day as the date to launch its violent bloodbath against Jews.
These omissions are not just notable; they are practically unprecedented. In past interventions — except when it comes to Israel — the UN has repeatedly taken a more balanced approach, recognizing aggressions and violations of international law by all parties involved. This unique stance, with a resolution that is void of any condemnation of Hamas or demands for the return of hostages, raises questions about consistency, fairness, and the underlying principles guiding the UN’s decisions in international conflicts.
Just by way of comparison, in January, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2722, which called for the maintenance of international peace and security in the face of Houthi attacks on commercial navigation in the Red Sea. The resolution unequivocally condemned the Houthis’ aggressive actions, including the seizure of the ship, Galaxy Leader, and its crew, emphasizing the vital importance of unimpeded maritime commerce and the exercise of navigational rights under international law. The resolution demanded an immediate halt to such attacks, and called for the release of the seized vessel and its crew, highlighting the broader implications of these actions on global trade and regional stability.
And yet, the resolution also affirmed the international community’s commitment to supporting Yemen’s sovereignty and the capacity-building efforts of its Coast Guard, and underscored the need to prevent the provision of arms that could escalate the conflict. Significantly, Resolution 2722 balanced its firm condemnation of the Houthis’ actions with a call for restraint in military countermeasures and diplomacy, and urged all parties to engage in enhanced diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of the conflict and prevent further escalation in the Red Sea and the surrounding region. This balanced approach clearly demonstrates that the UN Security Council is capable of adopting a resolution that is comprehensive and balanced — except, apparently, when it comes to Israel and the Palestinians.
That Israel feels a sense of grievance over the UN Security Council’s resolution calling for a ceasefire is totally reasonable. Israel is surrounded by entities and nations with whom it has a complex and often hostile relationship, and Israel rightfully views its security and sovereignty as paramount. The failure of the resolution to explicitly condemn Hamas for initiating hostilities not only undermines Israel’s longstanding security concerns, but also raises questions about the UN’s impartiality in resolving this conflict.
Moreover, by not insisting on the immediate return of hostages before the ceasefire, the resolution has manifestly overlooked the human rights of Israeli citizens. To do so is to neglect the very principles of justice, fairness, and protection of civilians that the UN purports to uphold, contributing to Israel’s feeling of isolation and bias against it within the international community.
The resolution adopted on Monday highlights the grave dilemma facing Israel: how should a country that must confront terrorism, military threats, and an international community that is seemingly more concerned for its enemies, address its legitimate security needs and right to self-defense, when it will be held to a different standard than any other country?
Considering the far-reaching implications of having called for a ceasefire without directly addressing the actions of Hamas or the pressing issue of Israeli hostages, the UN Security Council must urgently reevaluate. If the United Nations purports to bear the mantle of peace and justice on the global stage, it must immediately issue a new resolution that explicitly condemns Hamas’ aggression, demands the immediate release of all the hostages, and outlines clear expectations for the cessation of hostilities that ensure the safety and security of all civilians — not just those living in Gaza.
Failure to reevaluate and issue a new resolution will show that the United Nations has devolved into nothing more than an instrument for the most corrupt elements within the international community, and irreparably damage whatever remains of the UN’s credibility, not only in the eyes of Israel, but also for any nation or group entangled in a conflict where alleviating human suffering is paramount.
Unless the current resolution’s shortcomings are promptly and effectively rectified, the consequences will be dire. The world will be markedly worse off, with human suffering only set to escalate. This moment calls for urgent action and integrity from the United Nations, lest its role as the foundation of hope and fairness in the international arena be forever compromised.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
The post Disgraceful UN Vote Is a Day That Will Live in Infamy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Shifts One of Two Aircraft Carriers Away From Middle East
The world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford steams alongside USNS Laramie (T-AO-203) during a fueling-at-sea in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in this photo taken on Oct. 11, 2023 and released by the US Navy on Oct. 14, 2023. Photo: US Naval Forces Central Command / US 6th Fleet / Handout via REUTERS
One of two US aircraft carrier strike groups deployed to the Middle East in part to deter Iran from carrying out a threatened attack against Israel has departed the region, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
The decision to end the dual-carrier presence came nearly three weeks after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group to remain in the Middle East, even after the arrival of the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to replace it.
The Roosevelt has now departed the Middle East and is headed to the Asia-Pacific region, Major General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, told a news briefing.
Austin’s order for the Roosevelt to stay in place came on Aug. 25, as Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel and Israel‘s military said it struck Lebanon with around 100 jets to thwart a larger attack, in one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare.
Officials have been concerned that Iran might make also good on its threats to carry out an attack against Israel over the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran in July.
Ryder played down the idea that the United States was no longer concerned about potential Iranian action and said the decision was based on the Navy’s fleet management.
“Iran has indicated that they want to retaliate against Israel. And so we’re going to continue to take that threat very seriously,” Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon.
Iran has vowed a severe response to the July killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which took place as he visited Tehran and which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed or denied its involvement.
US President Joe Biden’s administration has been seeking to limit the fallout from the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, now approaching its one-year anniversary. The conflict has leveled huge swathes of Gaza, triggered border clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group and drawn in Yemen’s Houthis.
“We remain intensely focused on working with regional partners to de-escalate tensions and deterring a wider regional conflict,” Ryder said.
The post US Shifts One of Two Aircraft Carriers Away From Middle East first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Toronto police charge three people at UJA event protest—while more cops find themselves assaulted
Protests also occurred at multiple screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The post Toronto police charge three people at UJA event protest—while more cops find themselves assaulted appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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SUNY Purchase President Steps Down Amid Backlash Over Handling of Anti-Israel Protests, Campus Antisemitism
SUNY Purchase College President Milagros Peña attends the 52nd annual commencement at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York, May 17, 2024. Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect
State University of New York (SUNY) Purchase president Milagros Peña will leave office at the end of this academic year, ending a four-year tenure that was derailed by pro-Hamas demonstrations on the campus.
According to The Journal News, Peña announced her “retirement” in a letter to the campus community and further discussed the decision at a convocation event held earlier this month.
“After considerable reflection and discussion about what is best for me and my family, I informed Chancellor [John B. King, Jr.] over the summer that this 2024-2025 academic year will be my last year as president,” Peña wrote, according to excerpts of the letter shared by the local news outlet. “I have mixed emotions about my decision to retire as president after the spring semester, because, though we still face challenges as a community, we have accomplished a great deal together and our shared mission of providing access to a high quality, transformative public education is as important as ever.”
Appointed to office 2020, Peña became a target of far-left faculty last academic year when she authorized the clearing of an illegal “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” which, the school’s newspaper reported at the time, led to clashes between law enforcement and pro-Hamas students who refused to obey orders to leave the area. An estimated 70 students were arrested, The Phoenix Purchase has said, and at least one professor was detained for obstructing justice.
However, Peña was inconsistent as a policy maker. In an account of her responses to campus antisemitism published by The Algemeiner on Wednesday, SUNY Purchase alumna Esti Heller said the president ignored numerous supplications for increased security for Jewish life on campus after Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel. Peña was unresponsive, even after someone vandalized an Israeli flag and desecrated a sukkah, a hut built for the Jewish festival of Sukkot. Later, Peña reversed course in her handling of the pro-Hamas protesters, Heller said, acceding to their demands for “ethical investing,” amnesty for students charged with violating the code of conduct, and public disclosure of the school’s financial decisions.
Ultimately, Peña lost a no-confidence vote on June 3 in which 87 percent of the voting faculty called for her to leave office.
“While disappointed by the resolution, I am committed to continuing to take part in conversations with stakeholders on and off campus about many of the issues raised and look forward to engaging with the faculty, staff, and students about our shared goals and the best way of moving forward as a community,” Peña told the Purchase following the vote.
Now, three months later, Peña has granted faculty their wish, becoming the third university president in New York State this year to leave office after being criticized for mismanaging a series of crises, antisemitic incidents, and riotous demonstrations. Last month, Minouche Shafik resigned as president of Columbia University after her administration’s credibility crumbled amid revelations of antisemitic conversations between administrators and a partisan investigation of a pro-Israel professor. In May, Cornell University president Martha Pollack resigned after weeks of convulsive protests and disruptions on campus caused by mobs of pro-Hamas students and faculty.
In Wednesday’s announcement, Peña pledged to make her final months in office productive.
“We still have a lot to do before I step away, and I look forward to working together to ensure that Purchase College continues to thrive,” she said. “While there are challenges ahead, I feel confident that we have the flexibility, the skills, and the determination to continue to provide an excellent education for our students and to make progress as an institution that is continually evolving, while safeguarding our community and living up to our values during this extraordinary time.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post SUNY Purchase President Steps Down Amid Backlash Over Handling of Anti-Israel Protests, Campus Antisemitism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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