Pervasive Anti-Israel Bias in UN Agencies? Judge for yourself
Since the Hamas atrocities of October 7th, the longstanding bias and breaches of neutrality by certain professional bodies of the United Nations have been exposed in a blatant and undeniable manner. Key UN agencies have spread misleading information and applied double standards when addressing Israel's actions and the broader conflict. They have been misleading both the political and public discourse and serve as a major source of misinformation in international legal proceedings against Israel.
While anti-Israel bias within the UN system is not a new phenomenon, it is now clear that this bias has permeated even professional ranks that are required to uphold neutrality and impartiality. This undermining of the UN’s basic principles poses a broader threat—not only to Israel but to the integrity of the UN and the international system as a whole. It is important to note that Israel regularly works and cooperates with many UN organizations that strictly adhere to the professional standards and principles which their special status obliges. The criticism is directed at those officials and agencies that deviate from this commitment, thereby damaging the credibility of the entire organization and hence its ability to fulfil its important functions.
Senior figures within the UN have labeled Israel's criticism of the organization as "disinformation." This page compiles publications released by official Israeli bodies in recent months that describe in detail a plethora of examples for the systematic bias of leading UN agencies. Together, they paint a troubling picture of a radical deviation from the UN's core principles and standards.
Read for yourself and make your own judgment.
OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs):
OCHA is the primary source of information for the UN and the international community regarding violence and the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank. However, OCHA’s reporting in the Israeli-Palestinian context is anything but neutral and impartial. For a detailed breakdown of these violations of the most basic humanitarian principles by OCHA, see this page.
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees):
During the IDF operation in Gaza following the 7 October attack, a wealth of new intelligence has been gathered which exposed the involvement of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employees in the October 7th massacre and the deep infiltration by those terror organizations, particularly Hamas, into the ranks of UNRWA. Instead of addressing this unprecedented scandal, UNRWA and the UN have attempted to whitewash these findings, downplaying the extent of the problem as a case of "a few rotten apples". No investigation was launched into the allegations of a widespread terror infiltration, including of UNRWA's education system. Until today, eight months into this crisis, UNRWA's leadership has not declared publicly the most obvious commitment: that any UN employee found to be involved with Hamas or Islamic Jihad will be fired. This official Israeli government website provides all the information on this ongoing affair.
IPC (Integrated Phase Classification):
The Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) is an organization that operates under the logistical and professional framework of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Since the beginning of the war, the IPC has issued three reports on Gaza, which relied primarily on information from UN sources, warning of an imminent risk of famine in Gaza. These reports have significantly influenced various actions, including UN Security Council resolutions and proceedings against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
However, the IPC reports on Gaza have been marred by serious methodological issues, which were thoroughly detailed in official papers published by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one regarding the second report from March and another on the third report from June. These papers have raised concerns about the reliability and transparency of the IPC’s findings, which have fueled international pressure against Israel.
CAAC (Children and Armed Conflict):
In June 2024, the UN Secretary-General announced the inclusion of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the UN's "blacklist" based on the latest CAAC report, which accused the IDF of committing grave violations against children. The decision came against the backdrop of Secretary General Guterres' troubling record of legitimizing double standards against Israel in the UN and being weak and selective in his approach to antisemitism.
Guterres justified the decision by claims of high numbers of killings, maiming, and attacks on schools and hospitals which were included in the UN Secretary General's CAAC report for 2023. However, that report, drafted by a group of UN agencies led by UNICEF, presented distorted and decontextualized figures based on flawed methodologies which deviate from the official reporting guidelines, as did CAAC reports from previous years. The structural and methodological failings concerning Israel in recent CAAC reports are explained in great detail in this report, published on the Israeli MFA website in June 2024.
UNWOMEN:
Hundreds of Israeli women and girls were brutally murdered on October 7 by Hamas. Israeli Women and girls were sexually brutalized and physically tortured, however since the beginning of the war in Gaza, following the horrendous terror attack by Hamas, it has become abundantly clear that UNWOMEN ignores the suffering of Israeli women, thereby failing both Israeli women, and its mandate as the UN body tasked with protecting and advocating for all women internationally.
This official letter was sent to UN Secretary-General, and here is a UNWOMEN and the War in Gaza X (formally Twitter) posts analysis which clearly reveals a total disregard for he suffering of Israeli women.
What can you do about it?
The UN belongs to all of humanity. It is funded with your taxes. Demand from your parliament and government to ensure that all UN officials and agencies comply with their obligations for neutrality, impartiality and independence in all places and contexts, including when it comes to Israel. The world needs a credible UN system.
