
Speaking at the Jerusalem Conference in New York City on Sunday, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon had sharp words for the UN and its handling of the Gaza conflict and international diplomacy.
In a conversation with ILTV's Emily Schrader, Danon accused the international body of repeated failures and praised US-Israel cooperation in circumventing UN obstruction.
“I have no expectation from the UN,” Danon declared. “They failed before October 7th, they failed after October 7th.” He specifically pointed to the UN’s refusal to adapt to Israel’s new plan for delivering humanitarian aid through non-UN partners. “The UN is trying to boycott it, but it will not help them. They can choose maybe to join it, but they cannot stop it.”
Danon also condemned the UN’s ongoing failure to hold Hamas accountable for stealing aid, stating, “They don’t understand how we can even discuss humanitarian issues without the UN, but the UN failed.”
Turning to the issue of Palestinian statehood, Danon did not mince words. “To speak about the Palestinian state—it's science fiction today. Let’s admit it.” He noted that on June 17, France and Saudi Arabia plan to lead a conference at the UN promoting Palestinian statehood, which he dismissed as “detached from reality” and said Israel would not participate in “this fiasco.”
He emphasized the weakness of the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria and said, “We are taking a lot of actions in Judea and Samaria because the PA is not capable of doing much.”
On the US-Israel relationship, Danon pushed back against recent media speculation. “We’ve read too many headlines speaking about a crisis between Israel and the US. That’s a lie.”
He affirmed that the US continues to support Israel in the Security Council and mentioned meetings with US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump. “They (the US) are standing with us achieving all the goals of the war—bringing all the hostages back and defeating Hamas.”
Reflecting on his unexpected return to the UN after October 7th, Danon described a recent initiative where he led 30 UN ambassadors on a solidarity trip to Auschwitz and Israel. “It speaks volumes. During wartime, so many ambassadors coming to stand with us… we still have friends.”
Danon concluded on a resolute note: “We have to be strong. We have to decide what we want to achieve and how we want to achieve it—and the rest will follow.”