Experts slam UN action plan for combating antisemitism: ‘phony exercise in futility’

Last month, the United Nations (U.N.) released its "Action Plan to Enhance Monitoring and Response to Antisemitism," partially successful effect to a "surge successful antisemitic incidents targeting Jews and Jewish institutions successful Europe, the United States of America and elsewhere.

Anne Bayefsky, the manager of the Touro Institute connected Human Rights and the Holocaust and the president of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital that the Action Plan was a "phony workout successful futility," that was "produced by what she claimed is the starring planetary purveyor of antisemitism…to unreal to bash thing to combat antisemitism." 

Developed by the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the U.N.'s Action Plan emphasizes that "the quality to recognize and place antisemitism is important to planetary efforts to combat hatred and prejudice." Despite the captious quality of knowing antisemitism, the program wholly fails to specify what constitutes antisemitism.  

The Action Plan mentions, but does not follow the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance explanation of antisemitism, which 45 subordinate states person endorsed and which Bayefsky said "the immense majoriy of large Jewish organizations and institutions astir the satellite accept," due to the fact that it "recognizes the transportation with Zionism and Israel." 

ISRAELI PRESIDENT HERZOG HIGHLIGHTS ANTISEMITISM IN UN SPEECH AS NEW REORT SHOWS SHOCKING TREND

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 78th league of the United Nations General Assembly connected Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

"The U.N. champions the thought that victims of hatred and intolerance specify their ain acquisition of discrimination, isolation, and unit – but erstwhile it comes to Jews," she said.

UNAOC Director Nihal Saad was asked by Fox News Digital wherefore the Action Plan does not specify antisemitism and whether lacking this explanation would hinder efforts to place and curtail anti-Jewish prejudice.

Saad said that "the Action Plan underlines the value of knowing antisemitism alternatively than focusing connected the explanation of antisemitism and entering into a statement astir it, which proved distracting from the existent extremity here, which is enhancing our responses to antisemitism."

Referencing different issues wherever determination is nary statement implicit "definition of the taxable matter," Saad explained that a deficiency of a "definitive statement among subordinate states connected the explanation of terrorism" had not hindered the improvement of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which Saad called "a unsocial planetary instrumentality to heighten national, determination and planetary efforts to antagonistic terrorism."

Edmund Fitton-Brown, a elder advisor to the Counter Extremism Project and a erstwhile U.N. Monitoring Team coordinator, told Fox News Digital that "the CT[counterterrorism] strategy is simply a mess." 

ISRAEL ORDERS UNRWA TO CEASE OPERATIONS IN COUNTRY OVER TERROR TIES: ‘MISERABLY FAILED IN ITS MANDATE’

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a connection astatine U.N. office connected the concern successful the Middle East pursuing the violent onslaught by Hamas connected Israel. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Though helium said that immoderate U.N. efforts to antagonistic coercion are effective, helium said that fixed the deficiency of statement implicit what constitutes terrorism, the U.N. peculiarly struggles with identifying groups similar Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis arsenic terrorists. "If thing truly melodramatic happens, past often a radical volition find it is being accused of being a violent group," Fitton-Brown said, noting however the U.N. condemned the Houthis successful the aftermath of their 2022 onslaught connected Abu Dhabi airport but failed to designate them arsenic a panic group. "On Hezbollah, the U.N. has been hopelessly weak," helium explained. 

He said that Hamas was "a bully illustration of wherever the lack of a explanation is problematic due to the fact that you get thing similar the 10/7 attack…and the U.N. conscionable wholly failed successful its effect to that, and that is partially due to the fact that of its nonaccomplishment to justice that a radical that adopts violent tactics is simply a violent group." 

Bayefsky said that the U.N. Security Council "has ne'er condemned Hamas for October 7th due to the fact that they can’t hold connected what counts arsenic terrorism. That isn’t a occurrence story. It’s a malevolent dereliction of duty."

A presumption of the United Nations Headquarters gathering successful New York City connected July 16, 2024. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

No Plan for Self-Monitoring

Among the Action Plan’s proposals are the implementation of grooming modules to assistance unit "recognize and recognize antisemitism," and the request that elder U.N. officials "continue to denounce antisemitic manifestations arsenic and erstwhile they occur." 

Bayefsky questioned the implementation of these plans. "The U.N. says it is committed to educating U.N. unit astir antisemitism without knowing what counts arsenic antisemitism. Any existent pedagogue gives that acquisition program an ‘F,’" she explained.

ISRAEL BANS UN SECRETARY-GENERAL OVER ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIONS: ‘DOESN’T DESERVE TO SET FOOT ON ISRAELI SOIL’

U.N. Special Rapporteur connected the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese attends the Maghreb-Mashreq Social Forum successful Tunis, Tunisia, connected May 11, 2024. (Mohamed Mdalla/Anadolu via Getty Images)

From the highest levels, Bayefsky claimed that the satellite assemblage is not presently lasting up against anti-Jewish prejudice. Though U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the satellite connected International Holocaust Remembrance Day that "we indispensable condemn antisemitism wherever and whenever it appears," Bayefsky said that "if the erstwhile and the who are wrong the U.N., [Guterres is] not lone sitting down, helium goes mute." 

"Take the cases of U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and U.N. Commission of Inquiry caput Navi Pillay, some wide condemned for egregious antisemitic behavior," Bayefsky claimed. "The Secretary-General claims their ‘independence’ leaves him impotent. Nothing prevents him from utilizing his level to talk retired astir close and wrong. He’s mute by choice."

Fox News Digital asked Saad whether the Action Plan would let for the U.N. to marque captious comments erstwhile peculiar rapporteurs marque antisemitic remarks successful the sanction of the institution. "Special Procedure Mandate Holders/Special Rapporteurs are autarkic quality rights experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council," Saad responded. "They enactment successful an idiosyncratic capacity, and workout their functions successful accordance with their mandate, done a professional, impartial appraisal of facts based connected internationally recognized quality rights standards. The views expressed by peculiar procedures mandate holders stay those of the mandate holder and whitethorn not correspond positions held [by] the wider United Nations system."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital asked Farhan Haq, spokesperson for Guterres, whether the Action Plan would let him to remark connected antisemitism emanating from the U.N., including from its peculiar rapporteurs. "The Secretary-General has nary authorization implicit the autarkic experts who study to the Human Rights Council, and helium does not remark connected their activities oregon remarks," Haq said. "But the UNAOC program is designed to amended U.N. unit astir antisemitism."

Bayefsky said that the U.N. "can’t combat antisemitism without acknowledging its guilt and starting with ‘mea culpa.’"

Neither Navi Pillay nor Francesca Albanese responded to Fox News Digital questions concerning the allegations of antisemitism leveled against them.