Department of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine: Message to the World and Its Political and Social Organizations as Israel Declares Its Hostility Toward the UN and Its Organizations

Oct 18, 2024

At the beginning of October 2024, the Israeli Foreign Minister announced the ban of the United Nations Secretary-General from entering the country. The Secretary-General is not the first official to be banned; Israel had previously barred many international figures due to their positions that did not align with Israeli policies. Among those were the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief.
Although Israel owes its existence to the United Nations, enmity has long characterized its relationship with the international organization for several reasons, including:
• Israel is the only “state” in the world that was granted UN membership conditionally, as per General Assembly Resolution 273 of 1949, in exchange for implementing Resolutions 181 (1947) on the partition of Palestine, and 194 (1948) concerning the return of Palestinian refugees.
• The UN and its various agencies have issued numerous resolutions affirming the national rights of the Palestinian people, which Israel perceives as a deliberate bias in favor of Palestinian rights.
• In 1975, the General Assembly passed Resolution 3379, declaring «Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination.» Although this resolution was revoked in 1991 due to shifts in global power dynamics after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it remains a historical issue that continues to trouble Israel and the Zionist movement.
This hostile relationship dates back to the early stages of the Israeli state›s formation, when its political and ideological ideas—based on myths and historical fabrications—were turned into tools of murder and terrorism. Israel assassinated UN mediator Count Bernadotte in September 1948, just one day after he submitted his report, which called for the return of all Palestinian refugees to their homes.
Even with the shifts in global power dynamics that have favored Israel, largely due to pressure from the United States and some Western countries, the United Nations has maintained a minimum level of credibility in dealing with its internal systems. Many countries still support the national rights of the Palestinian people, despite open threats from American and Israeli officials to punish states that do so.
Palestine, as both a liberation movement and a non-member state, has received more favorable UN decisions than any other, while Israel has faced the most condemnations. This explains Israel’s tendency to fabricate crises with the UN and international institutions, in an effort to place the world under the shadow of historical blackmail related to Jewish claims in Europe, and to distract from the reality that Palestine remains a central global issue.
The balance of power within the UN General Assembly still favors the Palestinian people and their national rights, as reflected in the numerous resolutions issued annually and periodically by various UN institutions. According to some Zionist organizations, between 2015 and 2022, around 140 resolutions addressed various Palestinian issues. This confirms that the UN and its institutions continue to oppose Israel. Without the support of some Security Council members—especially the U.S. veto—Israel would have long been expelled from the UN.
Recently, Israel has taken extreme positions, reaching a level of complete hostility toward many UN institutions and officials. This has raised significant international concerns about the fate of international organizations operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, whose members have faced not only political targeting but also death threats. Institutions at the forefront of this include the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the Human Rights Council, UNRWA, UNIFIL in Lebanon, and dozens of other international organizations that Israel has classified as hostile.
Israel’s labeling of a UN organization as a “terrorist organization” should not go unpunished. Such actions would not have been possible without the support it receives from the United States and other Western countries. The key takeaway is that the international system has exhausted its functions and can no longer withstand the arrogance of American and Israeli power. It is no longer able to protect itself, which means the future struggle for a more just international order should be the demand of all freedom-loving people worldwide. Until then, the Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves through all forms of resistance, and all nations and people of the world have a duty to support this cause.
It is no exaggeration to say that Israel›s cross-border crimes disqualify it from being a capable member of the international community, as attested by the votes of most countries that support Palestine and condemn Israel for its crimes and violations of the UN Charter. With its ideological and religious background rooted in myths, fabrications, and claims, Israel behaves as though it is above the law, and indeed above the entire international system. It is incapable of fulfilling its most basic commitment: respecting people’s right to self-determination.
The impunity enjoyed by those who violate international law, commit crimes against children and women with ease, and express open hostility toward the international community represented by the UN and its organizations, contributes to Israel being perceived as an entity beyond the reach of international legitimacy. Therefore, if international institutions cannot take deterrent measures against Israel, despite repeated condemnations, then the people of the world have the right to take the initiative in defending themselves, in line with international legitimacy, which grants countries the right to defend themselves, their interests, and their national rights.
We address you today—political parties, movements, opinion-makers, social and media forces, trade unions, and humanitarian, legal, and cultural bodies—asking you to stand for the values you have committed to defending, just as we have committed ourselves to defending our land and country against the most extreme forces of terrorism and fascism in modern times. It is no longer sufficient to merely state that Israel and the United States are violating humanity and laying the foundation for a world ruled by the law of the jungle instead of the laws and systems agreed upon by all the peoples of the earth. The current situation demands advancing beyond traditional forms of struggle to ensure that the voice of the world reaches international decision-making centers.
In the name of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, we call upon you to break the long silence and align with Palestine—its land, its people, and its cause: the Palestine of justice and freedom, still groaning under the yoke of the last occupation on earth. We urge you to intensify your movements and diversify your actions against the aggression, pressuring Western governments that continue to provide the occupation with military, legal, financial, political, and diplomatic support. Having declared its hostility toward the UN and its organizations, Israel must be isolated at all levels and expelled, not only from the UN but from all international frameworks. Otherwise, the nations of the world will have every right to rebel against international law and legitimacy when they see it has become an obstacle to their interests.