Seven times the UN tried to destroy Israel

Photo: AP Images

The UN marks its 80th anniversary, as it preps enough “strongly worded statements” to tide them over along their brief wobble to irrelevance.

The UN, an entity that’s mastered the art of expressing “deep alarm” or “grave concern,” also perfected the annual ritual of lopsided roll calls. Yet the automatic majority never erased Israel; it didn’t even smudge it. Still, it hasn’t stopped trying to paper-cut it into submission through its three-step program of condemn first, condemn often, condemn again. Year after year, the same United Nations General Assembly convenes, in the hopes that maybe this time enough non-binding votes by the band of banned, bland, and bandits might brand a new future, bend reality, and bind Israel to it. The snowballing push to recognize Palestine at the UN, spearheaded by France and Britain, is the latest example.

Here are seven UN votes in which bias met staying power.

1: UNGA Resolution 194 (1948) — “Right of Return”

The Elevator Pitch:

In 1948, the UN passed a postwar memo by 35–15–8, declaring that Arab refugees who want to live at peace should be allowed to return. The UN also awarded itself full and indefinite babysitting duties over Jerusalem and other holy sites.

The Fine Print (Weaponized Edition):

That soft little word “should” got rebranded as “must forever, with interest, and please bring the grandkids and pets.” Of course, “peaceful” got a piecemeal downgrade.

The Fallout Today:

This resolution can also be read as “press here to end the Jewish majority,” and is the evergreen cliff every peace plan drives toward. The UN keeps auto-renewing the warranty annually without the owner’s consent and advocacy groups wave it at every forum. The battlefield rendered the Palestinian Arabs refugees in 1948; the UN has kept them refugees every year since.

2: Emergency Special Session (1956) — Bailing Out Egypt Before Israel Could Win

The Elevator Pitch:

Israel, Britain, and France invaded Egypt after Nasser seized the Suez Canal. The UN Security Council couldn’t advance their anti-Israel measures due to French and UK vetoes, so Eisenhower went for the quick fix and forced Israel and its allies to stand down by calling for a vote in the Genera Assembly. The GA voted for ceasefire, full withdrawal, and a UN Emergency Force (UNEF) along Egypt’s side of the border.

The Fine Print (Weaponized Edition):

In May 1967, Nasser told the UN troops to scram, which they promptly did. Within days, the Straits of Tiran closed and the crisis spiraled into the Six Day War. Suez taught a durable lesson: Territory won by force can be lost by vote when Washington sides against you.

The Fallout Today:

Israel learned its lesson early about not trusting UN peacekeepers to keep any of it. They also learned not to fear a UNGA vote, no matter how lopsided.

3: UNGA Resolution 2253 (1967) — Claiming Jerusalem as Their Own

The Elevator Pitch:

Two weeks after Israel miraculously survived the Six Day War, a humiliated General Assembly convened an Emergency Special Session and passed resolution 2253 saying Israel’s capture of Jerusalem was invalid. The vote went 99–0–20, with Israel boycotting the exercise, essentially telling the UN, “if you want it so badly, come take it yourself.”

The Fine Print (Weaponized Edition):

Bad enough Israel wasn’t pushed deep into the sea, but they liberated Jerusalem, too. The UN wasn’t cool with that, so they conveniently voted to award themselves ownership.

The Fallout Today:

Most governments and don’t recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, stamping its status: “do not install sovereignty without adult supervision.” Embassies overwhelmingly remain outside Jerusalem or use careful wording when they do move.

4: UNGA Resolution 2628 (1970) — Calling for Withdrawal from “Occupied Territories”

The Elevator Pitch:

The UN realized another war could break out, and Israel might [shudder!] liberate more territory. If only they could reverse Israel’s territorial gains by rendering them null and void, they might think twice before defending themselves so effectively.

The Fine Print (Weaponized Edition):

This resolution demanded Israel return all territory it had secured in war and promptly fall back to its erstwhile indefensible positions.

The Fallout Today:

Israel didn’t budge, so the UN slapped the “occupied territories” label, hoping the legal headache would cause Israel to withdraw. New settlements would risk procurement bans, grant restrictions, university exclusions, and product labeling, along with feeble wheezes from the general direction of the BDS community.

5 UNGA Resolution 3379 (1975) — Zionism = Racism

The Elevator Pitch:

A Soviet-Arab bloc pushed through a UNGA resolution declaring “Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination” by a vote of 72–35–32. This branded the national movement of a Jewish homeland as inherently racist, handing Israel’s enemies a UN-approved slur.

The Fine Print (Weaponized Edition):

The resolution became a universal adapter for various academic, cultural, and economic boycotts. If Zionism equals racism, then prejudice becomes virtue.

The Fallout Today:

Although revoked in 1991 by a vote of 111–25–13, the revocation didn’t recall the product. The wording lingered in NGO reports and UN side events, ensuring that “apartheid” and “settler-colonial” cliches keep recirculating.

6: UNGA Resolution 67/19 (2012) — Recognition of Palestine

The Elevator Pitch:

Since the UN couldn’t bypass the US veto and recognize Palestinian statehood via the Security Council, the General Assembly voted 138–9–41 to upgrade “Palestine” to non-member observer state. The resolution affirmed the 1967 borders as reference and handed Ramallah a robe of legitimacy large enough to veil their bomb vest.

The Fine Print (Weaponized Edition):

The nonexistent state of Palestine still didn’t exist, but at least moving forward, their business cards state: “State of Palestine.”

The Fallout Today:

Since 2012, “State of Palestine” has used its status to join treaties, petition bodies and pursue cases, notably at the International Criminal Court (ICC). While proceedings are time-consuming and outcomes are unhurried, the same can’t be said about the overall momentum.

7: Assistance to Palestine Refugees (2023) — Bolstering UNRWA

The Elevator Pitch:

Weeks after the October 7 massacres, the UNGA passed “Assistance to Palestine Refugees” by 168–1–10 (Israel being the lone “no” vote), essentially a political green light for UNRWA funding, access, and legitimacy.

The Fine Print (Weaponized Edition):

While Israel was urging the world to reconsider UNRWA support and to consider aid distribution alternatives, the UN swiftly moved into proactive action, providing the “relief agency” a critical lifeline.

The Fallout Today:

UNRWA ended 2023 with a fresh multilateral seal of approval. When evidence emerged the following month that certain UNRWA personnel participated in 10/7, the damage had already been done. Many countries cited December’s UNGA vote as a mandate to maintain (or later restore) funding.

Bottom Line:

The UN was formed to resolve conflicts; instead, it spent decades trying to restrain Israel. It succeeded at neither.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1080)