US Demands UN Finally Fulfill its Obligations to Israel: Stop Hezbollah

There is a menacing threat growing on Israel’s northern border, and the United Nations (U.N.) is turning a blind eye. Enough is enough; the U.N. must take action.

For thirteen years, Hezbollah – an officially recognized terrorist organization – has violated the U.N.’s mandate requiring a ceasefire and a demilitarized zone along Israel’s northern border. Stockpiling 130,000 missiles and engaging in regular Iranian-backed terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens is hardly peaceful.

Make no mistake, Hezbollah – backed by its jihadi terror partner Iran – is preparing for all-out war on Israel.

In fact, Hezbollah’s extremist leader, Hassan Nasrallah, recently boldly threatened, “There will be no place that is out of reach of the rockets of the resistance or the boots of the resistance fighters.”

In response to this outrage, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N., Ambassador Nikki Haley, has demanded that the U.N. finally enforce its own resolutions and for once actually stand by Israel. It’s past time for the U.N. to listen.

In June, Ambassador Haley went to Israel’s northern border to inspect the “demilitarized” zone. There, she encountered a terrorist tunnel and experienced the troubling situation first hand. The U.N. commander and official briefs “explained that the region was relatively calm.” This was a lie. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed Ambassador Haley of the truth.

Israel has requested that the Trump Administration work to strengthen the U.N. resolution securing the region. In response, Ambassador Haley has demanded “significant improvements” to U.N. Mandate 1701. She has correctly insisted that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) must be empowered to “prevent the spread of illegal arms in southern Lebanon.”

In 1978, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) slaughtered thirty-eight Israeli citizens, including thirteen innocent children. Israel justifiably retaliated. The U.N. responded with the UNIFIL mandate to “restore international peace and security.” Despite the U.N.’s lofty goals, Israel was continually shelled by PLO rockets until 1982 when Israel, not the U.N., ended the conflict with another invasion, expelling the PLO terrorists from Lebanon.

Unfortunately for Israel, Hezbollah terrorists now exert control over southern Lebanon and have been a constant threat to Israel’s peaceable right to self-determination. They are a terrorist organization that seeks the end of Israel. They are well funded and supplied by Iran with “advanced weapons systems.” They are critical allies of Assad’s murderous Syrian regime. Only by stopping Hezbollah’s reign of terror can Israel and the region take another step towards a lasting peace.

The U.N. must fulfill its own mandate and prevent the coming war.

Ambassador Haley’s call for reform of the U.N. mandate by August 31st is a strong sign that the Administration takes this threat seriously. For the first time in eight years, Israel has a true friend and ally on the U.N. Security Council. It’s been far too long.

At the ACLJ, we defend Israel daily through our offices in Jerusalem, on Capitol Hill, and even at the United Nations. When President Obama refused to defend Israel at the U.N., we were there. When the International Criminal Court (ICC) attempted to falsely target Israel for war crimes it did not commit, we were there, forcing the ICC prosecutor to drop the case. When UNESCO denied Israel’s claim to Jerusalem, we were there. When the Obama State Department sought to oust Netanyahu, we were there, with a lawsuit. When BDS activists target and harass students and faculty on campuses around the country, we are there. Today, we continue to be with Israel, and we are happy to see the United States again renew its commitment to America’s strongest ally and the only democratic state in the region.

We will continue to work directly at the U.N. and are following this situation. Hezbollah must not be allowed to further terrorize the Israeli people. Iran must not be allowed to exert its puppet power to destabilize the region. And the U.N. must no longer be allowed to turn a blind eye to this menacing threat.