The United Nations Has Been Undermining Israel Since It Voted To Create It

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Emanuel Engelmayer
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Although there is rarely consensus on anything about Israel, the common narrative on Israeli independence seeks to embellish an initial pro-Zionist stand by the United Nations, that gradually decreased due to “occupation” and alleged violations of human rights. Despite the UN voting in favor of a Jewish state, from the very first year of Israel’s existence, the world body demonstrated a clear anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist bias.

Naturally, the United Nations Relief & Works Agency's (UNRWA) creation is testimony to early UN sympathy towards Arab refugees who fled before and during the war of independence, but specific resolutions from that era expose just how unjust and perhaps antisemitic the UN was and still is. 

From the very early days of Israel’s war for independence, when local Arab attacks against Jewish villages and roads were common, the entire world expressed interest in the rapid developments. The UN, whose authority in the world was still being questioned after the debacle that was the League of Nations, was hyper-fixated on ensuring that the outcome of the war was in line with the borders and policies they suggested as part of the partition plan in Resolution 181. Two states with UN control over Jerusalem, and avoiding bloodshed were their guidelines. 

After the complete Arab refusal of any two-state solution and the escalation of the war with Egypt, Jordan and Syria joining in along with thousands of Arab mercenaries, UN commissions involved recognized their loss of control and pivoted from being a neutral entity and becoming a partisan authority, began to shun the existing state of Israel. Aiding the losing side of a war, respectable or not, was the natural move for the world-peace-seeking UN. 

In December 1948, as the war was raging and Arab states were attacking Israel from all sides and from within, the UN passed Resolution 194 and amongst other subjects, touched on the “Palestine issue." Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, by that time it was obvious Israel was going to win the war. This fact was evident in the resolution, which perhaps acts as the very first document calling for the “Palestinian right of return." Some parts of the resolution read more like a pointless crusader declaration to Arab rulers of the holy land more than anything, others depict the same anti-Israel rhetoric echoed until today.

Not mentioning Israel once, the resolution “resolves that holy places, including Nazareth, holy buildings in Palestine, should be protected and free access assured in accordance with existing rights and historical practice.” It then continues by noting it “instructs the conciliation commission to present the fourth regular session of the general assembly detailed proposals for a permanent international regime for the Jerusalem area which will provide the maximum autonomy for local groups…”

It is important to note that to this day, Israel is a free and open society that respects the rights of all religious groups to pray and practice their faith openly while in Palestinian areas like Bethlehem which has a significant Christian presence, freedom of religion is not guaranteed. The sacred Church of the Nativity has often been damaged and looted while worshippers attacked. However, despite the volumes of evidence including video and first-person interviews documenting the subjugation, the United Nations has not said one word about it in any resolution.  

Completely detached from the de-facto Israeli control of West Jerusalem and Jordanian in the East, the UN, even back then, strived to undermine the organized Israeli government and military. Ensuring Israel’s sovereignty and the importance of protecting Jewish holy sites were not mentioned. Even as Jordanian forces were killing Jews in Jerusalem's old city and destroying ancient synagogues, and ritual baths, and openly trying to erase any Jewish connection to the city, the U.N. was silent. This was the case for close to two decades at Judaism’s holiest site, The Western Wall, being used as a literal garbage pit for its Jordanian rulers with the silent approval and support of the United Nations. 

Despite the disregard for Jewish people in the resolution, the true signs of modern anti-Zionist rhetoric are noted further down the document. “Refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so in the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those who chosen not to return…” 

The UN was advocating for some utopian resolution of refugees being compensated in the middle of an active war; at the same time, Jewish Holocaust survivors in Europe were slowly learning most of their property and lands were forever lost to anyone who desired new “Lebensraum”. From the PLO point of view, resolution 194 remains a key historical justification for the Palestinian right of return to this day. 

Israeli relations with key UN leaders improved throughout the 1950s and 60’s when Israel and Arab states were used as a playing ground for The Cold War. However, the bedrock for anti-Zionist and quick clearly antisemitic UN-Israel policy was already planted in the late 40s and would come to good use for the Palestinian cause in the future.

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