Former White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz laid out an aggressive approach to countering anti-Israel sentiment at the United Nations during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday to be U.S. ambassador to the global body, accusing the organization in his opening statement of “pervasive antisemitism.”

Waltz, a staunch supporter of Israel and an outspoken critic of Iran who was nominated for the U.N. post in May after being removed from his position as national security advisor, said he would seek to block “anti-Israel resolutions” in the General Assembly and would push for the dismantlement of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency over some of its employees’ involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

He also voiced support for U.S. sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for Israel and the Palestinian territories, who has faced widespread accusations of espousing antisemitism in her commentary on Israel.

More broadly, Waltz — echoing the “America First” ethos of President Donald Trump — said he would “focus on peacekeeping, not nation-building,” and expressed support for the administration’s plans to slash funding to the U.N., calling for “major reform” to make the organization “great again.”

“The U.S. must ensure that every foreign aid dollar and every contribution to an international organization, particularly the U.N., draws a straight and direct line to a compelling U.S. national interest — one that puts America first, not last,” Waltz said.

Waltz was largely spared of the grilling he had been expected to face from Democrats at the hearing over his widely criticized handling of the use of a nonsecure messaging app to discuss sensitive U.S. attack plans in Yemen last March.

The so-called Signalgate controversy, in which Waltz inadvertently added a journalist to a group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal while discussing a military operation against the Houthis with top Trump administration officials, was first raised around halfway into the two and a half hour hearing — after several Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had bypassed the topic in favor of other issues, such as countering China’s global influence.

Still, Waltz strained to defend his misuse of the app, claiming no classified information had been shared and suggesting he had been following Biden-era guidance that recommended the app for end-to-end encrypted chats.

“The use of Signal was not only authorized, it’s still authorized, and highly recommended,” Waltz said at the hearing.

He also said the White House had investigated the matter and no disciplinary action had been taken — while adding that the Defense Department was still conducting a review of the incident. 

“I was hoping to hear from you that you had some sense of regret over sharing what was very sensitive, timely information about a military strike on a commercially available app that’s not, as we both know, the appropriate way to share such critical information,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), who first brought up the Signal controversy, said during the hearing.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who issued the most forceful remarks against Waltz, said he had no questions for the nominee, accusing him of lying about his involvement in the Signal debacle and failing to take accountability for his actions while smearing the journalist he had added to the chat.

“Smearing people, attacking folks, singling them out just compounds what I think is disqualifying about you for this position,” he said of the former Florida congressman and Green Beret. “It also, to me, just shows profound cowardice.”

Booker said he would not support Waltz’s nomination.

Despite such opposition, Waltz, who is expected to be confirmed by the GOP-controlled Senate, was otherwise presented with a range of friendlier questions from Republicans on the panel, many of whom expressed concerns about the U.N.’s long-standing hostility toward Israel.

Trump had weighed firing Waltz in the wake of the Signal debacle, but ultimately chose to remove him from his national security post and nominate him to serve at the U.N., where he will be based in New York City rather than the West Wing — far removed from the internecine battles that plagued his brief time in the White House.

Near the end of the hearing, Waltz dismissed a new report that he has continued to receive a White House salary in recent months despite being removed from his role — calling the story “fake news.”

“I was not fired,” Waltz said in response to Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV). “The president never said that, nor did the vice president.”

Jeff Bartos, the Trump administration’s nominee for U.S. representative to the United Nations for U.N. management and reform, said at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s presidency provides unique opportunities to work to compel change and reform at the U.N., including in its alleged bias against Israel.

Bartos, a Jewish Republican, previously ran for U.S. Senate and lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania.

Asked by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about antisemitism issues at the U.N. and efforts to disband the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, Bartos described the U.N. as “almost immune to reform” but said that U.S. leadership from Trump as a “unique window of opportunity” to force reform by leveraging U.S. funding.

Jennifer Locetta, the nominee for alternate representative to the U.N. for special political affairs, who testified alongside Bartos, said that she would work with the administration on its review of U.S. participation in U.N. agencies, such as those that have shown “pervasive anti-Israel bias” and would work to ensure that “everything that we do makes sure that America is stronger, safer and more prosperous.”

Kimberly Guilfoyle, the nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Greece, spoke at multiple points about tensions between Greece and Turkey, as well as the importance of relations between Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

Guilfoyle, the ex-fiance of Trump’s son Donald Jr. and a conservative media figure, political operative and former prosecutor, indicated her opposition to providing Turkey with F-35 fighter jets in light of its acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system, pointing to Greece as a more reliable ally.

“I think it is imperative that we focus and point out the juxtaposition of a strong, steady ally who answered the call and exceeded the expectations like Greece and someone who, yes, is in NATO, but also needs to follow suit and be that same kind of strong and strategic ally,” Guilfoyle said. She said she would work with U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack on Turkey issues.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the U.S. would sanction Francesca Albanese, the widely criticized United Nations special rapporteur for Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

“Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt [International Criminal Court] action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives,” Rubio said in a statement. “Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated. We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense.”

She is being sanctioned under the Trump administration’s executive order targeting the International Criminal Court. 

Members of Congress from both parties, as well as officials in both the Trump and Biden administrations, have condemned Albanese for her bias against Israel, downplaying and justifying the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, denying Israel’s right to defend itself and utilizing antisemitic rhetoric, among other issues, calling repeatedly calling for her to be dismissed. The French and German governments have also condemned the U.N. official.

A group of House members issued another call for her dismissal as recently as last month.

“The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies,” Rubio continued.

The sanctions would bar Albanese from entering the U.S., where she has conducted speaking tours, and freeze any assets she, or any of her family members, have in the U.S.

“As chair of the DOJ Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, I applaud Secretary Rubio’s decision to impose sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese,” Leo Terrell, a senior counsel at the Justice Department, told Jewish Insider. “In May, I wrote a public letter calling for her removal due to her long and troubling record of antisemitic rhetoric. This long-overdue step sends a clear message: such hatred will not be tolerated.“

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, praised Rubio for the decision. 

“Her relentless and biased campaign against Israel and the United States has long crossed the line from human rights advocacy into political warfare,” Danon said. “Albanese has consistently debased the credibility of the UN by promoting false, dangerous narratives that are detached from reality.”

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who has led multiple communiques from Congress calling for Albanese to be fired and recently said she has “blood on her hands,” told JI, “Today’s sanctions are …  an important step in response to Ms. Albanese’s regular antisemitism.”

“However,” Sherman continued, “until [the] UN removes Ms. Albanese from her post, it is clear that the UN continues to endorse antisemitism within its ranks.”

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Middle East subcommittee, said, “Francesca Albanese’s absurd campaign against the U.S. and Israel ends today. We will not tolerate antisemitic witch hunts by the UN and its affiliates.”

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) said, “Albanese is a full-throated supporter of Muslim terror.”

Terrell wrote to Albanese earlier this year condemning her for a series of letters she wrote to organizations and businesses that support and invest in Israel, suggesting they may be criminally liable for genocide and war crimes.

Albanese has also allegedly faced private criticism from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, which has scrutinized Albanese’s activity and history, called Rubio’s decision “bold and courageous.” 

“No U.N. official has ever been sanctioned before in history,” Neuer told JI. “Then again, no U.N. official has ever been condemned for Holocaust distortion and antisemitism by France, Germany, Canada, and both Democratic and Republican US administrations. … She will never again spread her poison on American campuses or enter the country. Justice is served. Good triumphs over evil.”

Jewish Insider congressional correspondent Emily Jacobs contributed reporting.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday that his upcoming United Nations conference with Saudi Arabia promoting international recognition of a Palestinian state has been postponed following Israel’s attack on Iran.

Speaking to reporters from Paris, Macron said that the conference would need to be rescheduled for logistical purposes, citing the inability of Palestinian Authority officials to travel to U.N. headquarters in New York next week to participate. 

The Trump administration was opposed to the conference, titled “The High Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution,” and urged U.N. member states against participating. Pro-Israel Republicans on Capitol Hill also criticized the gathering, which was scheduled to take place June 17-20, as a distraction from U.S. efforts to secure peace in the region.

Despite his campaign for Palestinian statehood recognition, Macron was quick to defend Israel’s strikes on Iran, releasing a statement early Friday criticizing Tehran for its nuclear program and supporting Israel’s right to self-defense. At his press conference later Friday, he argued that Iran was heavily responsible for the current unrest in the Middle East by building its nuclear program against the requests of the West and other actors in the region. 

Still, he urged restraint in both the press conference and his statement. 

“France has repeatedly condemned Iran’s ongoing nuclear program and has taken all appropriate diplomatic measures in response. In this context, France reaffirms Israel’s right to defend itself and ensure its security. To avoid jeopardizing the stability of the entire region, I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to de-escalate,” Macron’s statement read. 

“Peace and security for all in the region must remain our guiding principle,” the statement continued.

A U.N. spokesperson did not immediately respond to Jewish Insider’s request for comment on the conference. 

French President Emmanuel Macron’s campaign for international recognition of a Palestinian state and championing of an upcoming United Nations conference on the subject despite U.S. opposition has received a frosty reception from Senate Republicans.

France is set to co-chair “The High Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution” with Saudi Arabia at the U.N. headquarters in New York next week. Several described it as a distraction from U.S. efforts to secure peace in the region while praising the Trump administration’s decision to urge U.N. member states against participating. 

The U.S. sent a diplomatic demarche on Tuesday discouraging countries from attending the summit, “which we view as counterproductive to ongoing, life-saving efforts to end the war in Gaza and free hostages,” according to the cable. The demarche, first reported by Reuters, stated that any government that took “anti-Israel actions” after the conference would be viewed as acting in opposition to U.S. foreign policy priorities and warned of potential diplomatic consequences.

“It certainly sounds like they take us for granted and think that they can act without consequence. France has a long history of doing this in foreign policy. They’re consistently a problem and have been forever, but I’d say it’s very unhelpful of them at this present moment,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told Jewish Insider. 

“Well, it’s Macron. The Bob Dylan song ‘Blowing in the Wind’ was named after him,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said. “He’s powerless right now, and he’s got too much time on his hands.”

Asked what the response should be from the U.S. if Macron continues with this approach, Kennedy replied, “Unless it gets out of hand, I would just ignore them. Nobody’s scared of France. Germany runs Europe, not France. Right now, I know the Brits have left the EU but they’re still part of NATO, and the two countries that matter right now are Germany and the U.K. I love France … but I meant what I said, Macron, he’s lost all of his power. He’s erratic.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he spoke to French officials to try to dissuade them from continuing their Palestinian statehood push, but did not divulge how they responded. “Now is not the time. That’s what I told the French,” Graham told JI.

“They’ve generally had a cozy relationship with Iran that is purely driven by economic ties, maybe some historic ties. It makes no sense to me. I don’t think it’s well received by our administration,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said.

Pressed on if France’s efforts would have an impact on U.S. foreign policy, Tillis replied: “I don’t know. I think it all depends on how far it goes. I think they’re still in the thought phase. It will be interesting to see if anything meaningful comes out of it, then I think the administration will probably take a more definitive position against it.”

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) offered a similar take, telling JI, “France will be France. When they need our help, they always come ask us. Right now they’re trying to be tough, so let them stand there on their own ground, by all means. What they do doesn’t change what we decide to do.”

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers wrote to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, again demanding that Francesca Albanese, U.N. special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, be dismissed from her position.

Albanese, despite alleged private criticism of her by Guterres and public opposition from U.S. and allied officials, recently had her employment and mandate extended. 

“This extension sends a signal to the world that the United Nations tolerates and even promotes those who spew antisemitic hatred and harbor long-standing prejudice against Israel,” the letter reads. “This pattern of the United Nations allowing employees to direct vile hatred towards the Jewish people and the obsession with the world’s only Jewish state must end now. Every day that the UN fails to address this systemic bias within its organization, its credibility is undermined.”

The lawmakers argued that dismissing Albanese would be a step to show that the U.N. can address antisemitism in its own ranks.

“We’ve seen over and over again the deadly consequences of this noxious rhetoric like Ms. Albanese’s that crosses the line from criticism of Israel into antisemitic demonization,” the letter reads, linking Albanese’s long history of antisemitic comments to the recent antisemitic terrorist attacks in Washington and Boulder, Colo., as well as the global surge of violent antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023.

The letter was signed by Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Jefferson Shreve (R-IN), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY).

“Special Rapporteur Albanese has a vile and extensive history of outlandish antisemitic statements and an extreme bias against Israel,” the lawmakers wrote. “Ms. Albanese consistently uses offensive and dangerous rhetoric to absurdly compare Israel’s war on Hamas to the systematic extermination of Jews in the Holocaust … She has also outrageously stated that Israel doesn’t have the right to defend itself and has refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist.”

“She has had plenty of opportunities to take responsibility for her dangerous and misguided rhetoric but instead continues to double down every time she has been called out publicly and states that she has been ‘wrongly mischaracterized as antisemitic,’” the letter continues.

It also highlights that she has accepted tens of thousands of dollars worth of free travel from pro-Hamas groups in Australia and New Zealand.

Sherman, who led the letter, recently said that Albanese’s rhetoric and activity had eroded U.S. support for the U.N. and foreign aid in general and would contribute to deaths around the world.

“Instead of demonstrating that the UN can address issues such as antisemitism from within and prevent continued efforts to undermine the UN’s credibility, Secretary General Guterres extended Ms. Albanese’s employment,” Sherman said on X.

Democratic Majority for Israel helped organize the letter.

“Ms. Albanese — whose mandate as Special Rapporteur was recently and inexplicably extended — is an extreme anti-Israel activist pretending to be a neutral UN official,” DMFI CEO Brian Romick said. “She regularly spews antisemitic conspiracy theories and attempts to downplay the horrors of October 7th — all completely at odds with the values of impartiality and human rights the UN is supposed to uphold. This week she even encouraged unauthorized flotillas to enter an active war zone, putting lives at risk in a reckless political stunt. Keeping her in this role further damages the UN’s credibility. We’re proud to back this effort to hold both her and the institution accountable.”

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), in a blistering statement, accused the U.N.’s special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, of antisemitism and said that her activity has undermined the United Nations and eroded U.S. support for the U.N. and foreign aid in general and will contribute to deaths around the world.

The statement comes in response to a letter from Albanese, who has faced ongoing accusations of antisemitism from U.S. officials and lawmakers who have described her as unfit for her role, to Israel Bonds, accusing the group of involvement in crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.

“Only for a demonstrated antisemite like Ms. Albanese could stabilizing Israel’s economy after the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust be something negative,” Sherman said. “This is just the latest instance in Ms. Albanese’s long history of antisemitism – she has regularly used antisemitic terms like the ‘Jewish lobby’ and claims that Israel doesn’t have the right to defend itself or even to exist.”

He said that, “Albanese and her ilk have turned once-legitimate entities like the United Nations into kangaroo courts and clown shows, significantly undermining U.S. support for the funding of international institutions and foreign aid.”

Sherman argued that actions by officials like Albanese make it harder for U.S. supporters of foreign aid to fight the Trump administration’s cuts to U.S. foreign development assistance and to support funding to international organizations. He drew a connection between Albanese and the antisemitism at the U.N. and what he said were 3.3 million anticipated deaths as a result of cuts to U.S. foreign aid.

“There’s a substantial amount of blood on her hands – but her victims live in countries that she doesn’t care about,” Sherman continued. “In fact, it seems the only thing she cares about is justifying attacks on Israel and Jews worldwide.”

Sherman also argued that the goal of Albanese and others in the anti-Israel movement is to weaken Israel economically and militarily so that future terrorist attacks can successfully eliminate the Jewish state.

“Believe that the anti-Israel movement means it when they say they want to eradicate Israel and will use any means to do it,” Sherman said. “Ms. Albanese condemns, and seeks to prevent, every effort of the Israeli government to feed and house its poorest citizens and care for the disabled. Due to her blinding rage of antisemitism, she seeks to hurt the most vulnerable.”

Albanese, in her letter to Israel Bonds, formally known as the Development Corporation for Israel, alleged that the group is responsible for a host of crimes against humanity and human rights violations, and suggested it faces international criminal liability.

“The applicable legal framework and the gravity of the situation on the ground in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly in Gaza, indicate that there are reasonable grounds to believe that DCI is contributing to gross human rights violations that require the immediate cessation of the concerned business activity, and the remedy of the harm done to Palestinians,” Albanese wrote in the letter, which was obtained by JI.

“The continued failure to act responsibly in line with international law risks implicating DCI in an economy of much more serious violations, and increasing the associated liability. Indeed, given the international crimes being considered by the [International Court of Justice] and the [International Criminal Court], DCI is now on notice of a serious risk of being implicated in international crimes, the disregard of which may give rise to criminal liability, both for DCI and its executives,” she continued.

Dani Naveh, the CEO of Israel Bonds, said in a statement, “We will not be deterred by our enemies driven by antisemitism. Hamas, which carried out the atrocities of October 7, and its supporters, will not prevail. Their efforts have failed time and time again, as evidenced by the billions of dollars Israel Bonds has raised globally since the horrific attacks of October 7, 2023,” and called on supporters of Israel to respond by buying more bonds.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Special Envoy Ric Grenell and a slew of other candidates are interested in the role of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump withdrew his nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) as U.N. ambassador last week.

“We have a lot of good people that want it,” Trump said in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “For the replacement, we have a lot of people that have asked about it, and would like to do it. David Friedman, Ric Grenell, and maybe 30 other people. Everyone loves that position. That’s a star-making position.”

Addressing his decision to withdraw Stefanik’s nomination, Trump cited concerns about the Republicans’ slim margins in the House. 

“I just don’t want to take chances where you guys are saying, ‘How is the election going?’” Trump explained. “We have a congressional election that’s a little bit close. I guess the one is in good shape, but the other one is a little bit close. But Randy Fine is a great guy … We want to be careful. And Elise is very popular in her district … I think it’s just security,” he said.

Fine is the Republican candidate in Florida’s 6th Congressional District who is in a surprisingly tight race in tomorrow’s special election to fill former Rep. Mike Waltz’s (R-FL) seat.

Trump also confirmed an upcoming trip  — which he said could be next month or “a little bit later” — to the Middle East, expected to be his first trip abroad during his second term. The trip will include visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and potentially the United Arab Emirates and other nations in the region.

“I have a very good relationship with the Middle East,” Trump said, heaping praise on Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman. “They’ve agreed to spend close to a trillion dollars of money in our American companies.”

Also during the remarks, Trump appeared to foreclose the possibility of Ukrainian membership in NATO, and said “that’s probably the reason the war started, actually,” echoing a Russian talking point on the conflict.

The Trump administration pressured Israel to vote against a U.N. resolution on Monday affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity and condemning Russia’s invasion of the country on its three-year anniversary, according to a source familiar with the discussions.

“There was a lot of pressure from the U.S., they really insisted,” an Israeli official told Jewish Insider on Tuesday. “It came at all levels, at the U.N., in Washington and in Israel.” 

The resolution “is not our position,” the official added, and the vote, the first time Israel voted against Ukraine and with Russia since the beginning of the war, “wasn’t easy for us … We preferred to avoid this situation. We had no choice but to take a side.”

The official said that Israel “could have abstained, but I think because we asked for a lot from [the Trump administration] in recent weeks and days, the decision was to go all the way with them.”

The pro-Ukraine resolution passed with a majority of countries — 95 — supporting it. Thirteen countries opposed the resolution, including the U.S., Russia, North Korea, Hungary and others. Sixty-five abstained, including Argentina and Arab states. An American resolution calling to end the war without mentioning that Russia invaded Ukraine did not pass.

President Donald Trump says he is seeking a deal to end the war in Ukraine. He declared Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky a “dictator” last week and accused him of starting the war, which began with a Russian invasion in February 2022.

Jerusalem declared its support for Kyiv in the first days of the war and sent humanitarian aid, including the first field hospital in Ukraine. However, Israel drew criticism from Ukraine in the early months of the war for not sending military aid. Israel maintained that it could not be more active in backing Kyiv because Jerusalem needed to communicate with Moscow about its presence in Syria and to keep an open channel to the Jewish community in Russia. 

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Kornichuk told JI that he was very disappointed in Israel’s vote.

“The resolution was blaming Russia for the war and supporting Ukrainian territorial integrity. Israel could have abstained, and it voted against it … It would be like if Ukraine would vote against returning the hostages to Israel,” Kornichuk said. “This is really harming our relations.”

Kornichuk did not accept the explanation that Israel needed to vote with the U.S., saying that its “neighbors Jordan and Egypt supported both the resolutions of the U.S. and Ukraine. Only Israel found itself in the position of voting with Russia and North Korea. That is sad.” 

Ukraine has not voted with Israel once in the last decade on U.N. resolutions targeting the Jewish state, and voted against Israel 75% of the time, abstaining the rest of the time, according to UN Watch.

Though Kornichuk would not accept Israel’s justifications, he provided a similar one for Ukraine when asked about its voting record, saying that “we have to vote like Europeans because we intend to be part of the EU.”  

The ambassador said that Kyiv may send a demarche, a diplomatic complaint letter, to Israel following the vote.

Kornichuk, who is responsible for Kyiv’s ties to the American Jewish community in addition to being ambassador to Israel, spoke to JI from Washington, where he is taking part in the AIPAC Congressional Summit this week. He said he plans to tell American Jewish leaders that Israel’s vote is unacceptable.

Kornichuk also denied a report that Ukraine and Israel reached a deal by which Israel would give Ukraine Russian weapons that it captured from Hamas and Hezbollah, and Kyiv would provide Jerusalem with intelligence about Russian missiles used by Iran. There have been several recent flights between the Nevatim Air Base in Israel and Rzeszow base in Poland, which is the logistics hub for aid to Ukraine.

The ambassador said Ukraine has asked for the weapons several times, but that Israel said they had been destroyed.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel proposed a bill to allow such weapons transfers when she was a lawmaker, but she can no longer propose legislation as a deputy minister.

Still, Kornichuk said, “you don’t need a law to pass through the Knesset, you just need a Defense Ministry decision.” 

“We have the same enemy. We have been asking our Israeli friends to work closely with us on anti-missile programs,” he said. “There are some-follow ups and interest on joint cooperation on anti-drone efforts, but not many on the others. I wish that we will work closer because this is a joint threat.” 

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, President Joe Biden’s pick for ambassador to the United Nations, pledged to stand behind Israel in her role at the U.N. during her Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing Wednesday.

In response to a question from Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Greenfield addressed attacks on the Jewish state at the U.N.

“I look forward to standing with Israel, standing against the unfair targeting of Israel, the relentless resolutions that are proposed against Israel unfairly and… look forward to working closely with the Israeli embassy, with the Israeli ambassador to work to bolster Israel’s security and to expand economic opportunities for Israelis and Americans alike and widen the circle of peace,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “It goes without saying that Israel has no closer friend than the United States and I will reflect that in my actions at the United Nations.”

The former assistant secretary of state for African affairs also praised the recent normalization agreements between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, describing them as opportunities for further progress both within the U.N. and around the globe.

“I see the Abraham Accords as offering us an opportunity to work in a different way with the countries who have recognized Israel… We need to push those countries to change their approach at the United Nations. If they’re going to recognize Israel in the Abraham Accords, they need to recognize Israel’s rights at the United Nations,” she said. “I intend to work closely with the Israeli ambassador, with my colleagues across the globe, because this is not just an issue in New York — but also pushing our colleagues to address these issues with their countries bilaterally so that we can get a better recognition of Israel in New York.”

She also condemned the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

“I find the actions and the approach that BDS has taken toward Israel unacceptable. It verges on antisemitism,” she said. “It is important that they not be allowed to have a voice at the United Nations.”

Thomas-Greenfield also said she plans to implement a robust approach to thwarting Iran’s nuclear ambitions, with the goal of engaging both U.S. allies and adversaries in countering the Iranian regime.

“We will be working with our allies, our friends, but we also have to work with other members of the Security Council to ensure that we hold Iran accountable,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “As the ambassador to the United Nations, if I’m confirmed, I will work across all of those areas to ensure that we get the support but [also] see where we can find common ground with the Russians and the Chinese to put more pressure on the Iranians to push them back into strict compliance.”

Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee did not raise the issue of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, a 2016 measure that declared that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories have “no legal validity” and constitute “a flagrant violation under international law.” In a rare step, the U.S. broke with Israel at the time and abstained in the Security Council vote on the resolution. In 2017, 78 senators cosponsored a resolution condemning the resolution.

The United Nations released an unprecedented report on Thursday highlighting a “disproportionate” 38 percent increase in antisemitism across the globe, even in countries that have no Jewish population. The report also identifies certain actions by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel as “fundamentally antisemitic.”

Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, will present the final version of the report at the annual session of the U.N. General Assembly’s third committee on Thursday afternoon. An interim report was released last month. According to Shaheed, antisemitism is a threat that requires a “multi-pronged human rights approach” to address the issue. 

In his presentation, Shaheed recommends that states adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism as a “non-legal educational tool” to enable them to identify, monitor and respond to antisemitic discourses and attacks. He also calls on the U.N. Secretary General António Guterres to appoint a senior-level envoy to coordinate global efforts to combat antisemitism, as well as the establishment of faith-based organizations to show solidarity and build resilience and trust between communities.

“My key purpose in doing the report is to motivate states and other actors to take action against antisemitism and seize on the very serious threat to everybody to take common action to stop this,” Shaheed said in an interview with Jewish Insider. “I am very clear that governments must respond to all antisemitism by taking preemptive steps, but there’s also an obligation to have laws in place and enforce them to protect people and provide remedy to the victims of such incidents.” 

Shaheed suggested that the U.N. report could help sooth concerns among Israelis and members of the Jewish community that the international body is biased against the Jewish state. “If the secretary-general appoints an envoy to a very senior level in his office to deal with the matter, I think Jews will start feeling that the U.N. also works for them,” Shaheed told JI. “Right now, I feel a sense of grievance that the U.N. is a very biased body against Israel and the Jewish community, and I am hoping that one of the outcomes of this is that those within the U.N. system itself start taking more notice of the issues faced by Jewish communities across the world and that we build bridges in working together.” 

Shaheed, a career diplomat from the Maldives, revealed that when he was appointed to the post in November 2016, he “found almost nothing” was done by this mandate established three decades ago on addressing concerns raised by Jews. This inspired him to “start a conversation” with Jewish groups and human rights monitors how to address the issue. “I think there’s a grave understand that we have to address this deficit and pay more attention to this subject. This is a very good start, and I think we need to build on this connection for the time to come.” 

Shaheed noted that, since boycotts are internationally legal, he took “a very fine line” when spotlighting the “antisemitic tropes” invoked by the BDS movement. “There are elements in the BDS movement who are overtly and openly antisemitic,” he said. “The effects of this movement have been attacks on campuses and incidents against students and religious academics.” The report also connects online antisemitism as a driving tool that leads to violent attacks against the Jewish community. 

“This is a landmark report that represents the first time that the U.N., a body that has too often in the past been identified as a source of Jew hatred has seriously grappled with the stark reality of current antisemitism,” Mark Weitzman, director of government affairs at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, tells JI. “In reading it we get a sense that the author of the report, Prof. Shaheed, is morally outraged not only by the surge in antisemitism but also by many governments lack of recognition and commitment to fighting antisemitism.”