Many around the world turn to the UN for information about what’s happening in Gaza. Much of the news media cite the UN reports and statements in their own reporting. Breaking News headlines are often based on the UN’s statements. So, it is important to ask, “Is the UN a neutral organisation? Is it biased against Israel?” Because if it is indeed biased against Israel and is not maintaining neutrality, then we should not believe its reports and statements blindly. We must carefully scrutinise them before accepting them.
Facts to consider:
The UN released a 21-page report1 dated 14 June 2024, summarising its investigation into possible violations of international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and other crimes committed by all parties in Israel, Gaza, and the rest of Palestine, between 7 October and 31 December 2023. In that report, it summarised both Hamas’ attacks on Israel and Israel’s retaliatory attacks. Despite all the evidence, the UN has not once accused Hamas of committing “crimes against humanity”. In the same document, the UN accused Israel 4 times of committing those very “crimes against humanity”.
Some examples of crimes against humanity according to the International Criminal Court:2
- Murder: Killing one or more persons as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.
- Sexual violence: Committing an act of a sexual nature against one or more persons as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.
- Rape: Invading the body of a person resulting in penetration of any part of the body of the victim or of the perpetrator with a sexual organ, or of the anal or genital opening of the victim with any object or any other part of the body, as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.
- Enforced disappearance of persons: Abducting one or more persons with the authorisation, support or acquiescence of a State or a political organisation, as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.
- Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty: Imprisoning or otherwise severely depriving one or more persons of physical liberty as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.
- Torture: Inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering upon one or more persons as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.
- Other inhumane acts: Inflicting great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health, by means of an inhumane act as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.
Hamas committed all of the above acts as part of a systematic attack directed against the civilian population3 of Israel, on Oct 7 2023, according to the UN’s own admission. For a summary of some of Hamas’ actions on Oct 7, click the link below:
Yet, the UN did not charge Hamas with committing crimes against humanity but was very quick to charge Israel with the same, despite Israel’s actions having legitimate justifications.
Despite acknowledging that the “Hamas armed wing and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad publicly claimed responsibility for the [Oct 7] attack and declared in several statements their intention to target civilian locations”4, the UN never charged Hamas with genocide, to date!
Despite Hamas making their intentions clear that they want to wipe Israel out of existence5 and proving that they are serious about it, by conducting the Oct 7 attacks, and subsequently stating that they plan to repeat such attacks as often as they can, the UN claimed that the October 7th attacks “did not pose an existential threat to the State of Israel”6.
The UN always refers to anyone in Gaza under the age of 18, as “children”, but when talking about the Israeli kids, it differentiates between children and teenagers.7
What can we conclude?
Many more examples can be given, but the ones presented above are sufficient to see whether the UN is biased against Israel or whether it is acting impartially. These examples are clear evidence of bias, to me. You decide for yourself what to believe about the UN’s neutrality.
- https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/56/26 ↩︎
- https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/Publications/Elements-of-Crimes.pdf ↩︎
- A/HRC/60/CRP.3 ↩︎
- https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/56/26 para.10 ↩︎
- https://peaceandsword.com/hamas-explains-the-gaza-conflict/ ↩︎
- A/HRC/60/CRP.3 para.165 ↩︎
- https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/56/26 para.18 ↩︎