The UN is watching you, but who’s watching the UN?

As the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) wrapped up its 2024 sessions, one thing became abundantly clear: when it comes to Israel, the UNGA has the attention span of a dog with a tennis ball. In a year brimming with global crises – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the unrest in Syria, and the humanitarian disaster in Myanmar – the UN’s focus remained laser-like on one country: Israel. With 17 out of 23 resolutions criticizing Israel, nearly three-quarters of the UNGA’s condemnations this year were directed at the Jewish state, while the rest of the world collectively received only six. It’s like a movie where one actor is repeatedly blamed for every plot twist, no matter how irrelevant they are to the storyline.

UN Watch, a Geneva-based organization that keeps a critical eye on the UN’s actions, has not been shy about calling out this one-sided obsession. Hillel Neuer, the organization’s executive director, pulled no punches in his response: The purpose of these lopsided condemnations is to demonize and dehumanize Israelis, Neuer declared, pointing out the sheer absurdity of the situation. In a year where many of the world’s most oppressive regimes continued to commit human rights atrocities – China’s crackdown on Uyghurs, Venezuela’s economic collapse, or the Saudi regime’s ongoing abuses – the UN could barely muster a resolution. Instead, it spent the majority of its time dissecting Israel’s every move. It’s as if the UNGA has become an open-air courtroom, where Israel is constantly on trial, with no defense.

To make matters worse, the UNGA’s resolutions have been disturbingly selective in their accusations, turning a blind eye to the actions of terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. For instance, a recent resolution on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, initiated by Norway, passed with overwhelming support. However, this resolution completely ignored compelling evidence published by UN Watch that proves UNRWA, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, has extensive ties to Hamas. Instead of addressing Hamas’s exploitation of international aid for terror tunnels, the resolution conveniently ignored the group’s role in exacerbating the crisis. Instead, it praised UNRWA for its supposed “neutrality”—as if neutrality is still a valid stance when one side of the conflict is indiscriminately firing rockets at civilians and using hospitals as cover.

But the cherry on top was the UNGA’s decision to pass two more resolutions singling out Israel for supposed offenses related to environmental damage and resource exploitation. One, titled “Oil slick on Lebanese shores,” called out Israel for an alleged oil spill during the 2006 war with Hezbollah, despite the fact that Hezbollah’s own actions in the region have inflicted significant environmental damage, a fact the resolution conveniently overlooked. The second resolution condemned Israel for exploiting natural resources in Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights – again, conveniently ignoring the fact that Hamas routinely commandeers international aid meant for development, while Palestinians themselves refuse to develop vital infrastructure like water resources and sewage systems.

What’s astonishing is the hypocrisy: in the same year, when countries like China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan continued to trample human rights, these regimes remained untouched by the UNGA’s resolutions. No votes condemning their actions. No calls for accountability. The only country that seems to be on trial every time the UNGA convenes is Israel.

As Neuer aptly put it, the UNGA’s selective targeting “undermines the credibility of what is supposed to be an impartial international body.” It’s hard to argue otherwise. When an organization that was founded to foster diplomacy and promote peace becomes a stage for political theater, something is seriously off.

The UN Watch Database documents that from 2015 through 2023, the UNGA has adopted 154 resolutions against Israel and 71 against other countries. And it’s not just the General Assembly – the entire UN system fixates on Israel. From 2006 through 2024, the UN Human Rights Council has passed 108 resolutions against Israel. For comparison, Syria has faced 45, Iran 15, Russia 10, and Venezuela just 4.

The UN isn’t just letting Israel take the fall for the world’s problems, it’s actively feeding a narrative that serves to isolate Israel, turning it into a global scapegoat. So next time the UNGA calls for a vote, don’t be surprised if the only country on trial is Israel. After all, they’ve already got the script written. The question is: when does the world finally wake up and demand a rewrite?