By Dr. Matthijs de Blois, Senior Fellow, thinc.
Short summary:
On October 7, 2023, the holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas terrorists and other Palestinian Islamist groups, such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel. The cruelty of the violence against soldiers and innocent civilians, including babies, children and elderly people, is almost beyond comprehension. It was a pogrom directed against the Jewish people with no precedent after the Shoah. Immediately after the Hamas attack, which included rockets fired at population centers across southern and central Israel, Israel responded with a major military operation in the Gaza Strip, while at the same time having to be prepared for attacks in the North, on the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and in the South. In doing so, Israel exercised its right to self-defense under the UN Charter.
The UN is supposed to promote and encourage “respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.” In this article, thinc. Senior Fellow Dr. Matthijs de Blois focuses on the reaction to the October 7 pogrom and its aftermath by three major UN organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Secretary- General. He surveys these responses and then reflects on them within the broader context of the attitudes adopted by the UN towards Israel.
Please read the full text of the article (starting at page 14 ) in “Justice”, click HERE
