Israel petitioned the United Nations Security Council to reschedule a critical meeting on the war in Gaza that is slated to take place during the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, but the council refused and the “meeting remains set,” according to Israeli ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon. Israel will not participate as a result.
“I wish to inform you that the delegation of Israel will not participate in this meeting, as it coincides with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year,” Danon wrote in a Monday letter to Security Council president Sangjin Kim of South Korea. “Despite Israel’s request to the Presidency and Council members to reschedule, the meeting remains set for that date – one of the most significant in the Jewish calendar, marking the start of the High Holy Days.”
The Washington Free Beacon first reported that the meeting was scheduled to land on the Jewish holiday following pressure from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the self-described “collective voice of the Muslim world” that maintains a permanent delegation to the U.N. and counts the likes of Iran, Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan as members. Algeria, sources said, was especially aggressive in pushing Kim to schedule the meeting for Tuesday, effectively sidelining Israeli officials.
“Israel will not take part in the debate about Israel tomorrow in the Security Council,” Danon said in a subsequent videotaped statement. “We cannot be there. It is unfortunate that the Security Council will meet without Israel.”
The Jewish holiday begins at sundown on Monday and concludes at nightfall on Wednesday. High-level debate at the ongoing U.N. General Assembly (UNGA), however, does not end until five days later, allowing the Security Council to hold the Gaza meeting after Rosh Hashanah. South Korea had final say on the scheduling, suggesting that Kim ultimately sided with the OIC over Israel.
“The U.N. is the greatest disseminator of anti-Semitism in the world,” a senior Israeli official told the Free Beacon.
The Security Council meeting will take place amid a larger push by Arab nations and European allies to recognize a Palestinian state. Security Council members Britain, France, and Canada did so on Sunday, setting up a showdown with the Trump administration and Israel, both of which view statehood as a reward for Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror spree.
Hamas, seemingly encouraged by the move, published footage on Monday afternoon of 24-year-old Israeli hostage Alon Ohel, who was captured on Oct. 7 and is reportedly losing sight in his right eye. “Time is running out,” the terror group said in a Telegram message showing Ohel’s face and a man wielding a handgun.
The families of Israeli hostages recently warned U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer that his recognition of a Palestinian state is eroding the chances for a hostage deal.
“Hamas has already celebrated the UK’s decision as a victory and reneged on a ceasefire deal,” the families of 16 hostages wrote to Starmer. “As Prime Minister of the UK you have a valuable role to play in bringing the hostages home, including three remaining British-linked hostages, but your current path is the wrong one.”
While Starmer said the move “is not a reward for Hamas,” the terrorist organization struck a celebratory tone, with senior official Mahmoud Mardawi saying the statehood push amounts to a “victory.”
“These developments represent a victory for Palestinian rights and the justices of our cause,” Mardawi said on Sunday, “and send a clear message: no matter how far the occupation goes in its crimes, it will never be able to erase our national rights.”
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