Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, believes the United Nations' treatment of Israel has become significantly worse since the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, pointing to both statements and actions by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva on the sidelines of the JNS International Policy Conference in Jerusalem, Neuer reflected on more than two decades of work at UN Watch.
Asked whether the battle has become more difficult, Neuer replied, "It's hard to imagine, but the pathological UN, which obsesses over Israel, got even so much worse after October 7th, in particular because of Antonio Guterres."
Recalling remarks made by the Secretary-General shortly after the Hamas attack, Neuer said Guterres condemned the attacks but also stated that "the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum."
"He effectively went on to justify what happened because he enumerated numerous alleged grievances by the Palestinians, basically justifying what they did," Neuer said.
Asked whether his criticism was directed only at Guterres' public statements or also at UN actions, Neuer responded that it was both.
"It's statements and actions. He set a tone. UN agencies all around the world have been attacking Israel like never before since October 7th," he said.
Referring to the recent conflict with Iran, Neuer argued that UN bodies had focused their criticism on Israel and the United States while failing to hold Iran accountable.
"It was shameless propaganda coming out of Guterres' office," he said.
Neuer also addressed a recent exchange involving Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon during a discussion on sexual violence in conflict.
According to Neuer, Danon was criticizing UN officials after "the secretary general shamelessly placed Israel on the same list as Hamas."
He said a senior UN official, Vanessa Frazier, interrupted Danon's remarks in a manner that violated UN procedure.
"She interrupted him. She started shouting. And she has no right to do that," Neuer said, adding that such treatment would not be directed at representatives of other countries.
"The fact that she had the audacity, the chutzpah, to do that is something they would only do against Israel, and it reflects the message that Guterres is sending around the UN."
Despite the challenges, Neuer rejected the suggestion that the effort to confront anti-Israel bias at the UN is a lost cause.
"What happened with Iran illustrates the importance of fighting on the political battlefield and the global diplomatic political battlefield," he said.
"You can win great military victories, but if you're not winning at the political diplomatic level, in the end, maybe you're losing."
Neuer acknowledged that Israel faces difficult battles in international forums but stressed that they must still be fought.
"It is a global podium. We do have friends. We need to enable and empower them. You have to fight and make the case," he said.
He pointed to developments including US funding cuts to UNRWA, Sweden's decision to defund the agency, a vote in Switzerland's lower house to do the same, US sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, and condemnation of Albanese by 15 countries.
"We need to be there and fight," Neuer concluded.