NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who is in New York City this week for the United Nations General Assembly, took aim at the intergovernmental organization Thursday ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Friday morning UNGA address.
"This week it's important to remind that the United Nations, has become over the years, an organization full of hypocrisy, especially when it comes to Israel," Cohen said, during his only public, on-the-record address throughout the UNGA, at the American Jewish Committee's offices in midtown Manhattan.
Cohen, a member of the Likud party who previously served as the Minister of Intelligence and Minister of the Economy and Industry, pointed out that Israel has had a disproportionate number of resolutions targeting it.
"A very upsetting fact is that out of 70 annual resolutions, voted by the General Assembly at the United Nations, approximately 17 are anti-Israel," he said. "Over 20% of the resolutions are dediated to condemning Israel."
To hammer home the point, he cited other countries: "How many are adopted on average against Syria? 1. Against Iran? 1. North Korea? 1."
He further explained, "To this date, there have been 104 resolutions adopted against the state of Israel. Whereas against all other countrues, in the world -- Iran, Syria, North Korea, Yemen and others -- share all together 164 resolutions."
He also took aim at the UN saying it "doesn’t find time for the terrible" policy of the Palestinian Authority that pays those who engage in terror attacks against Jewish Israelis.
Cohen added, "Israel is the only place in the region where people can express their opinion and say whatever they want, in the streets on the social media, in the press, everywhere."
His remarks come after Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, held up a sign that read "Iranian women deserve freedom now" during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s speech at the UNGA Tuesday. The move led to UN security promptly escorting him out of the General Assembly Hall.
"Israel is the only state that another country is calling for the destruction of," Cohen said. "A country that calls for the elimination of another country should not be a member of the United Nations."
He added, "The fact that the president of Iran is allowed to speak on the UN stage is a stain on this organization -- and another example of its hypocrisy."
Cohen has met with several of his counterparts on the sidelines of the UNGA, including those from the United Arab Emirates, Austria, Singapore, Azerbaijan, Malawi, Poland, North Macedonia, Sweden, Canada, Bahrain, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, and Malta.
Citing the signing three years ago of the Abraham Accords, the landmark agreement which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and acknowledging the potential of normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia, he said, "I hope that we will be able to mark an even bigger and historic event in coming months."
He said, "Over the last 24 hours, we have heard three courageous world leaders conveying a message of peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia: President Biden, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."
And striking a note of a historical, brotherly connection, he said, "The peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia symbolizes the reconciliation between the Jewish people and the Muslim world, which I'm sure that a lot of Muslim countries will join. This peace guarantees the future generation will live in a safer world. The descendents of Abraham will live side-by-side in peace."