The UN must be reconstructed from the ground up - opinion

In September, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan proclaimed, “The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades.” 

A week into October, Hamas would carry out the deadliest attack in Israel’s modern history, resulting in 1,200 innocent Israelis lives taken, hundreds kidnapped as hostages, and an incalculable shift in global Jewry. 

In the over 100 days since these horrors, tensions have continued to rise. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken opined, “I would argue that we’ve not seen a situation as dangerous as the one we’re facing now across the region since at least 1973 and arguably even before that.”

These officials failed to see how the global institutions with which they cohabitate have created our current climate. 

It is easy to point to the joke of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), being composed of notorious human rights abusers, but this rot runs even deeper. The UN has a systematic issue of employing and legitimizing terrorists and their allies. Hostile actors were preparing for months – if not years – using international programs to foster their plans. 

UN employees were directly involved in the October 7 attacks

In the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, Israel announced that UN employees had a direct involvement. 

Freed hostages shared how they were kept in the home of a UN aid worker. The UN responded with a statement about the severity of making such allegations, denying any responsibility. We now know, months later, that dozens of people working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) played a direct role in carrying out the attack; thousands of others at the agency have ties to individuals who made the slaughter possible. If those numbers sound hard to believe, UNWRA employs over 10,000 in Gaza alone. 

In response, the UN claims they will “hold to account” terror actors in their wings. The fundamental issue, however, is that we are not looking at a few rotten eggs, the entire UNRWA is tainted. 

Countries around the globe have announced they will cease funding to this agency within the United Nations – but more is needed. The UN as we know it must be reconstructed from the ground up. The key funders of the body such as the United States, contributing more than a fourth of the UN’s dues, should cease contributions. Any aid programs worth funding can be overseen by the actors that finance them; the UN is not uniquely qualified to give aid; any institution that does not have terror cells on its payroll should suffice. 

Israel should aim for global partnerships, but the UN is rarely the right vessel

WE SHOULD aim for global partnerships, not be beholden to terror states; for structures that do not promote powers that thrive off decentralizing others. The mere idea that Iran has as much say as India within the UN baffles when discussing efforts toward international cooperation. 

We can also have a body that helps countries that need assistance. For years, Haiti has been asking for UN forces to aid in cracking down on their widespread gang violence, to no avail. There is also very little use for the justice system under the UN, which is entirely voluntary and regularly adjusts rulings in order not to expose its lack of power. 

In Libya, the UN-recognized government has gone years without elections. The UN-designed process could not solve basic questions on who should be allowed to run for office and if those who turned weapons on civilians were disqualified. Members of the UN Security Council actively back both sides of the Libyan civil war and undermine the “unity” government meant to shepherd in an elected body. Russian Wagner forces occupy Libyan oil fields to ensure that no matter who eventually comes out on top, its interests are secured. Meanwhile, France works with both sides, to counter terror cells in Southern Libya. 

Supporters of Hamas know the UN is an avenue for legitimacy once this war ends. Hamas has powerful allies such as Turkey, Qatar, and Iran that will push for the terror organization to be viewed as a political entity that should have a say in the governance of Gaza. No reputable state should humor these forthcoming resolutions. Security Council members should veto all movements that allow the festering pro-Hamas wing of the UN to grow. 

Nations that legitimately promote human rights and moral values can band together without the setting of a New York office building or a compound in Brussels. 

Global powers should not withdraw membership from the UN, but they can downsize it to the scale of the importance it has earned. The UN was meant to prevent war by sorting out conflicts before they boil over, but it has become a hotbed for bad actors and those looking to use the institution to cover their malfeasance. 

The writer was granted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Activist of the Year Award in 2019 & 2020. He is an Arizona State University – Watts College of Public Service master of public policy graduate.