The United Nations And Israel: It’s Complicated

-Analysis-

PARIS — The relationship between Israel and the United Nations has always been complicated, except maybe on Nov. 29, 1947, the day the Jewish state was born with the adoption of the partition plan for British Palestine. Since then, it’s been more complicated.

And since the crisis triggered by the Oct. 7 massacre, things have become even more complicated. Right from the start, Israel called for the resignation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a comment he made, even though it was simply common sense. In the past few days, two points of conflict have resurfaced: a report on sexual crimes committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, and the role of UNWRA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

The report published this week by Pramila Patten, UN’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, was supposed to calm criticisms: It partially vindicates Israel. The report said there are “good reasons to believe” (that’s the careful wording used) that sexual crimes were indeed committed on Oct. 7 against Israeli victims.

It also implies that “such treatments certainly continue,” toward female hostages. This should have put an end to the denial surrounding the question of rapes on Oct. 7.

The role of UNRWA

Yet the Israeli government accuses the UN Secretary-General of trying to suppress the report, and has even recalled its ambassador to the organization for consultations. Guterres denies this, but does nothing about it. Israel also denounces the delay of this report, which is not unfounded.

UNRWA says Israel has no proof.

But this is nothing compared to the controversy surrounding the role of UNRWA. This organization was created in 1948 to care for Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Its purpose is the very symbol of the existence of a “Palestinian problem,” as its statutes provide for its dissolution once a political solution has been found. We are a long way from that.

Israel accuses UNRWA of porosity with Hamas. First, there was the accusation that 12 UNRWA employees, out of thousands, had taken part in the Oct. 7 attack. Now the number has gone up to 450, but UNRWA says Israel has no proof. UNRWA Commissioner-General and Swiss diplomat Philippe Lazzarini, even counter-attacked by accusing Israel of torturing some of its employees.

The reasons for this conflict 

There are two reasons for these conflicts. UNRWA is the real administration and largest employer in Gaza, with its network of schools, hospitals and food distributions. Israel wants to exclude it from the future governance of the territory, in order to better control the post-war period.

Keeping the UN at arm’s length is an end in itself.

The second reason is more profound: Israel sees the UN as an organization dominated by the countries of the South, and fundamentally hostile to the Jewish state. For example, having Iran on the Human Rights Commission does not speak well for its credibility.

But the UN has also issued numerous resolutions on the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, which Israel has never implemented and has even deliberately violated by expanding settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. So keeping the UN at arm’s length is an end in itself, even when the organization sides with Israel by confirming its allegations of sexual violence by Hamas.