Update from a WLCJ Representative to the United Nations

By Florence Wolpoff, WLCJ Board Member and United Nations WLCJ Representative
Update from a WLCJ Representative to the United Nations

On behalf of Lucy Becker, Sandy Koppell and me, Florence Wolpoff, your representatives to the United Nations, I take this opportunity to highlight some of the important activities that took place since our last meeting of the Board of Directors in June 2022.

Each year, as your representatives, we are invited to attend the opening sessions of the General Assembly. There we have the privilege of listening to the Heads of State of each of the member nations. 

On September 22, 2022, Yair Lapid, Prime Minister of Israel, addressed the General Assembly. He said, “An agreement with the Palestinians based on a two-state solution is the right thing for the Israeli security for their economy, and for the future of their children”. “Peace is not a compromise, it is the most courageous decision we can make”.

September 23, 2022, marked the third time I heard Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority, address the General Assembly. Each year his message changes. He declared that Israel does not believe in peace and said, “We do not have an Israeli partner.” He claimed that Israel is exercising terrorism against the Palestinians. He said he wants to live in peace with Israel. In 2019, Abbas spoke of returning to Jerusalem and holding an election. But up to today, he says, Israel has not allowed them to have elections. He called Israel an Apartheid Nation. He wants permanent status at the United Nations. These are just a few of the statements he has made. What was most upsetting was the loud applause he received from the member nations when he finished addressing the assembly.

On December 10, 2021, the UN Watch reported that in its history, the General Assembly has passed 121 resolutions against Israel and only 45 for the rest of the world combined.

A UN Commission of Inquiry on Israel was created in May 2021 by the Human Rights Council. In October, 2022 the Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry presented a report citing Israel. The Chairman of the Commission claimed that the report was Law Based. Member nations were given an opportunity to respond to the report. Very few nations came to Israel’s defense. It was painful to listen as nation after nation condemned Israel.

Just before this meeting, the Ambassador representing Israel, Gilad Erdan, addressed the press outside the chamber. He said, “The Commission of Inquiry does not give Israel’s opinion. “The purpose of the Inquiry was to demonize Israel” The organization Stand With Us held an earlier rally in defense of Israel on 47th Street, just outside the UN Building.

On Friday November 11, 2022, the UN Commission of Inquiry approved a draft resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to issue its opinion on the legal consequences of allegedly denying the Palestinian people the right to self-determination. This draft was opposed by Israel who said that this would destroy any chance of peace with the Palestinians. 

The vote in the Special Political and Decolonization Committee of the General Assembly was 97 in favor and 17 against, 52 abstentions. The resolution will now go to the 193 member nations of the General Assembly some time in December.

The countries that voted with Israel in opposing the resolution were: Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Liberia, Lithuania, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauro, Palau and the United States. 

The United Kingdom and France were two of the nations that abstained. All Arab nations voted in favor of the resolution. Even Ukraine voted in favor of the resolution. The opinion by the International Court is non-binding. U N Ambassador Riyad Mansour, thanked the Assembly and then went on to say: “There will be a day when our people {Palestinians} will bring the flag over the churches of Jerusalem and to the Mosques of Jerusalem and Haram-al Sharif referring to the Muslim name for the Temple Mount.”

In September, Sandy Koppell arranged for a tour to explore the UN Gardens. The tour was a successful but only open to twenty participants.

Some good news to report: The President of the General Assembly is from Hungary. I believe he had been the Hungarian Ambassador to Israel. In his capacity as President, he advertised a position in his cabinet. Sarah Weiss Maud, the Chief Legal Advisor at the Israeli Mission, applied and was chosen. This is the first time that an Israeli has been recognized in such a way. Some of our Women’s League members met her when Lucy Becker arranged a meeting with the Israeli Mission before the pandemic.

Each year on January 27 Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated at the UN. This event is open to the public. As the information for this year is sent to me, I will share it with WLCJ. I believe it will also be on Zoom.

Shabbat Shalom,

Florence Wolpoff
WLCJ Board Member and United Nations WLCJ Representative
florence.wolpoff@verizon.net