— Feature, Musings —01.27.2024 09:28 AM
My latest: the death of the United Nations
Most Canadians believe – or believed – in the idea of the United Nations.
On paper, it all made sense. An international body that would promote peace and security. One that would foster better relations between countries. A place to coordinate the actions of nations. To create a better world.
The UN was borne out of the ashes of World War II, phoenix-like, with the initial aim of preventing future world wars. That was a good objective. So, four dozen nations met in San Francisco in June 1945, and hammered out the broad principles that formed the UN Charter.
There are 111 articles in the Charter, collected in 19 separate chapters. This is the very first one: “To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace.”
Those are the first words you see, really: that the United Nations would always strive to maintain peace, and take action to prevent and remove “threats to peace.”
So, what happens when it is the United Nations itself that is violating the peace? What does it mean, when representatives of the UN – its paid staff – are actively involved in acts of aggression against innocent civilians? What then?
Because that, now, is the truly shocking news that seeped out on Friday morning, when the world was distracted by a historic ruling of the International Court of Justice.
That United Nations staff participated in the massacres on October 7.
Read that again, because it is not made up: United Nations staff participated in the massacres of 1,200 Israeli men, women, children and babies on October 7.
UNRWA – the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees – admitted it, just as the ICJ’s ruling was breaking. Here are the words of Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner-general:
“The Israeli Authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on 7 October. To protect the Agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay. Any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.”
Lazzarini then “condemns in the strongest terms” what happened to Israeli civilians on October 7, and says a few words asking for the return of all remaining Israeli hostages. But, again, it is important to note that UNRWA made their admission when they knew everyone would be focussed on the stunning ruling of the International Court of Justice. (Which – against the expectations of most – declined to declare that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians.)
Why cover up? Why try and take out the trash, as journalists put it, on a Friday? Because UNRWA and the United Nations know: the damage has been done. And the damage is irreparable. Twelve of their employees helped to murder, maim, and kidnap Israelis.
The Israelis have been raising the alarm about UNRWA for a long time. But, as with most things at the United Nations, nobody really listened to them.
About a week ago, to cite just one example, international human rights lawyer Hillel Neuer’s UN watchdog told the international body that 3,000 UNRWA employees were active on a Telegram feed, “replete with praise of the Hamas massacre of October 7th.” UNRWA and the UN shrugged. They didn’t care.
One of that group, United Nations employee #30026166, Safe al-Najjar, was an administrator of the group. She regularly praises Hamas, calling them “holy warriors.” Another UNRWA employee (#10777281), Weam Majdi Kalloub, praised massacres of Jews. And on and on. So many Jew haters, there is not enough room to name and shame them.
All of that is bad enough. All of that should be sufficient cause for concern. But then Israel provided the United Nations with proof that its own employees had actually helped to butcher Jews. The United States immediately announced it was stopping funding of UNRWA. Canada, which has provided UNRWAS with $90 million between 2019 and 2023, needed to do likewise.
And, to the surprise of many, we did – late on Friday. Because of the fence-sitting for which the Trudeau regime has become notorious, it was doubtful. But they did the right thing. So, good.
But can we now expect Trudeau to finally admit that sad and shocking truth – which is that the United Nations and its agencies have become complicit in murder?
And that, like all murderers, they deserve to be punished?
Because they do not deserve to be funded, or supported, anymore.
Warren,
Well, the United Nations has been a quite deliberately stacked deck, or if you prefer, a biased farce for decades and decades. It is the pathetic successor to another failed organization, The League of Nations.
I’m ready to consign it to the ash heap of history but not without coming up with something new that allows at least for informal consultation between nation-states. As past events have demonstrated, the UN may not be the ideal institution to serve as a collective security mechanism. Still, world peace depends on not letting a vacuum develop that could do more than anything else to contribute to the undermining of the cold peace process, such as it is.
In short, the UN has to do to UNRWA what Chrétien did to the Canadian Airborne Regiment.
The difference is the Airborne Regiment didn’t deserve it.
Andrew,
That’s what de Chastelain claimed.
Until the creation of CSOR Canada lacked a rapidly deployable infantry unit. Disbanding the Airborne Regiment robbed the CAF of that flexibility.
Agree with R O’D . The Airborne Regiment is an apt analogy.
Like any public institution, its most serious flaws will draw more attention than the good it serves. For all its problems, I still think the UN makes the world safer.
I prefer the UN’s problems in 2024 than the problems of 1913 or 1938.
We in Canada don’t tolerate anti-Semitism whatsoever
and if our executive in Parliament don’t take an extreme
hard line against the goddammed UN hate groups we need to fire our Parliamentarians outright and replace them with executive that does.
This escalation of hate is getting to be quite worrisome.
I was not raised to engage in hatred.
We in Canada don’t tolerate anti-Semitism whatsoever
Take a look at all the pro-Hamas celebrations in Canada after Oct 7.
Look at all the politicians and union leaders who are supporting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” Meaning free of Jews.
Personally I don’t support the so-called “freedom of Hamas”
They were paid protestors and the CUPE union led
student protestors were coerced by their schools &
teachers. Canadians didn’t know that at first, but via
the excellent Canadian Journalists we have in this
country we are all now well aware that the demonstrations are contrived. Even the lazy bastard
TPS got off their collective duffs and made arrests.
Canadians may be slow, but were not uneducated.
How about David Eby’s staff?
They may be the exception.
Harper knew the UN was trash years ago. Well past it’s prime
Even Prime Minister Harper knew the UN was a joke
Any long time bureaucracy needs to be shaken up. Like our barking seal standing O federal civil service.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_law
Reform the UN, but don’t disband it.
Curious,
One cannot reform an institution which refuses to reform nor even sees the need for it. A replacement for it is needed in at least the medium term and this time, the joke of a so-called Security Council needs to be abolished, if vetoes remain the norm for the permanent members.
“One cannot reform an institution which refuses to reform nor even sees the need for it. A replacement for it is needed in at least the medium term and this time,”
This comment makes me think of organized religion.
Wink,
God is one thing. Religion, sometimes is quite another.