By Andrew Thornebrooke, EPOCH TIMES 1.3.23
U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, speaks during a press conference at the U.N. Headquarters in New York on March 1, 2021. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
The U.N. consistently demonstrates an anti-Israel bias and is overly beholden to authoritarian regimes, including China and Russia, according to testimony during a U.S. House subcommittee hearing on March 1.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the international body continually seeks to place Israel at a disadvantage and favors actions that undermine Israeli security and sovereignty.
“The U.N. is replete with anti-Israel actions and bodies, including disproportionate resolutions against Israel across the U.N. system,” Thomas-Greenfield told members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.
Frustration With Rapporteur
The ambassador expressed particular frustration with the continuing influence of U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who has explicitly compared Israel to the Nazi Third Reich, expressed support for Palestinian terrorist organizations, and claimed that Israel is solely an oppressive occupier, rather than a sovereign nation with legitimate security concerns.
“We find her statements, her public stances, completely unacceptable,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “We have raised our concerns at the highest levels of the United Nations and we will continue to do that.
“We have called on the U.N. to take actions against those individuals in the U.N. system who have shown a bias towards Israel, particularly in public statements.”
Likewise, the ambassador said the U.N. International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is supposed to settle disputes between states according to international law, has “not contributed” to the mission of establishing peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
“The ICJ does … in some particular situations [appear] to support justice,” Thomas-Greenfield said, “but not in this particular case.”
China, Russia Subvert UN Charter
Among the many interrelated problems facing the U.N. is the issue of the organization’s apparent inability to adequately address human rights abuses, according to the ambassador.
To that end, she said some member nations on the U.N. Human Rights Council are among the world’s worst human rights abusers, who frequently use the body to block actions against themselves while weaponizing it against the United States.
“Countries who are human rights violators want to get on the council so they can block the actions of the council,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
“Clearly, the council is flawed.”
Among many human rights offenders, the Human Rights Council currently includes China’s communist regime, which the United States formally recognizes as being engaged in genocide against predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities.
Likewise, China’s placement on the U.N.’s permanent five-member Security Council effectively renders the body incapable of pursuing justice on a number of issues, the ambassador said.
Still, Thomas-Greenfield said it’s important for the United States to maintain its presence in the U.N. to prevent the total subversion of the organization against the United States and its allies and partners.
“We are engaged in a strategic competition, especially with China, to ensure that the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights prevail,” she said.
“Without our leadership, China, Russia, and others hope to shape the United Nations and, indeed, the world, in their authoritarian image.”
As such, the ambassador suggested that the United States seek to add additional permanent members, including India and Japan, to the Security Council.
US Tax Dollars Used Against US Interests
Subcommittee Chair Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) expressed concern about the activities of the U.N. and its many failures, given that the United States is the organization’s largest contributor, providing the body with more than $12 billion annually.
“This significant investment from the American taxpayer is not exempt and should not be exempt from the expectation that we see that U.S. interests are being advanced,” he said.
“The American people want to see a United Nations that supports, not undermines, our security. And that our allies and partners also are not attacked or undermined by this institution.
“Unfortunately the U.N. too often seriously fails there.”
Díaz-Balart condemned what he referred to as the U.N.’s “institutionalized anti-Israel bias” and said the Security Council was “paralyzed by Russia and China,” which continue to engage in “flagrant violations of the U.N. Charter.”
He also questioned whether the Biden administration has the political will to assert itself at the U.N. and to more broadly champion American and democratic interests.
“This administration justified rejoining and reengaging in the [Human Rights] Council by promising that the United States would bring change,” Díaz-Balart said.
“The question before us is whether this administration has the political will to leverage our contributions and position to advance our interests and reform the U.N. to be more effective in achieving peace and security—a central tenant of the U.N. Charter.”
The U.N. secretary-general’s office didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
If the USA thinks that footing the bill gives them the right to determine the outcome, they have seriously made a mistake in their expectations. Apart from that, allowing a veto right to those who do not even pay the bill is a big problem. As Biden would say, come on man!