UN Encourages Protests Against Israel 

lev radin / shutterstock.com
lev radin / shutterstock.com

In describing her harrowing ordeal in which a student stabbed her in the eye with a Palestinian flag, Sahar Tartak says that fellow students at Yale not only refused to intervene but also actively stopped her from going after her assailant. Tartek, a student reporter at the Yale Free Press, is the latest victim of the crazed pro-Palestininan mobs infecting college campuses across the nation. 

Pro-Palestinian mobs that, it would seem, are encouraged by the United Nations to riot and protest. 

As April 15 dawned, many procrastinating Americans scrambled to get their taxes done. But others were looking for ways to use tax day protest Israel and “free Palestine,” armed with a list of ways to do so provided by the United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights. 

The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights generated and shared the list via the UN’s web page called “The Question of Palestine.” 

“The Question of Palestine” is an exhaustive listing of all trending topics of interest for anti-Israeli groups, broken down by geolocation across the globe. Among the highlights is a list of UN actions to further the Palestinian cause, and it shows that so far, April has been a busy month for the United Nations. 

The UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) organized a conference in Geneva titled “Building Bridges with International Civil Society to Address the Ongoing Nakba” on April 3 and 4. Participants urged Member States to isolate Israel, impose arms embargoes, and call for UN member nations to advocate for a permanent ceasefire. 

On April 5th, the UN Human Rights Council passed five resolutions addressing various human rights issues. One resolution demanded that Israel lift its blockade on Gaza and cease all forms of collective punishment while also calling for an immediate ceasefire. The Council urged all states to prevent the forcible transfer of Palestinians and to halt the sale and transfer of arms to Israel.  

On April 7th, UNRWA General Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini highlighted the devastating impact of the six-month-long war in Gaza, noting record-high casualties among children, aid workers, journalists, and medical teams. Lazzarini called for the protection of civilians, the release of hostages, and an immediate ceasefire. Israel was urged to open more land crossings and remove restrictions on UNRWA’s work without delay. 

Closer to home, the USCPR released a post, “Stop Arming Israel: 5 Ways to Take Action for Tax Day,” and the link was shared on the UN page on April 5. The post instructed protestors to “block the arteries of capitalism” by blocking “major choke points in the economy” to cause the most economic damage.  

The article stated, “This is the time to hit the streets and disrupt. Make sure EVERYONE you come into contact with knows that Israel is mass murdering Palestinian families with our federal tax dollars.” The article listed five ways Americans could protest on tax day, with one of the items listed calling for Americans to oppose the use of tax dollars to “pay for deadly weapons” for Israel. 

The article calls for protestors to “disrupt for a free Palestine” by erecting blockades on April 15 to “disrupt economic activity.” The article provided links to “toolkits” protestors could use, an online seminar instructing groups on moving forward with protests, an “interactive tax map” to show how much taxpayer money is being used to arm Israel, and instructions for starting a fundraising page for the cause. 

And the call to action worked. On April 15th, anti-Israel protesters staged blockades at various locations across the United States. Demonstrations disrupted traffic outside major airports such as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, as well as on the Golden Gate Bridge in California and the I-5 in Eugene, Oregon. Gatherings occurred outside prominent landmarks such as the New York Stock Exchange and Philadelphia’s City Hall. Additional protests were reported in Oakland, Los Angeles, Miami, and Tampa. Traffic disruptions and near-accidents plagued law enforcement and innocent drivers in Detroit. 

The UN attempted to distance itself from the call to action, stating on its site that the organization is not responsible for the links or content contained on its page. But Anne Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices, called the disclaimer “bogus.” She pointed out that the UN staff creates summaries of activist plans and that the UN must authorize all links to be included on the page. 

The UN is supposed to be impartial, but its actions during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have proven it is anything but neutral. Instead, the UN has chosen to side with Palestine by distributing newsletters containing links to anti-Israel agitators and their plans.  

The peacekeepers have made their voices heard. Israel, a member of the UN since 1949, is on its own.