The sight of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing at the podium of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to address the world was nothing short of a profound contradiction — and a shameful stain on the credibility of the international system. Here was a man under an active arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against the Palestinian people, yet he was accorded the highest platform in the global arena to speak freely, without consequence.
This moment was not just symbolic; it was a testament to the failure of the UN to uphold the very principles upon which it was founded. It exposed a double standard so glaring that it undermines the moral and legal authority of the institution itself. If the UN cannot enforce accountability for crimes of genocide, what legitimacy does it retain in the eyes of the world?
The ICC and UN: A Broken Relationship
The ICC exists as an international judicial body created to prosecute the gravest crimes known to humanity. It is not an independent creation standing apart from the UN system; rather, it was established under the auspices of the UN, and its Rome Statute was adopted through a UN treaty framework.
By allowing Netanyahu to enter the UN premises and address the General Assembly instead of arresting him, the UN effectively flouted the independence, integrity, and credibility of the ICC. It sent a clear message: the ICC is only relevant when prosecuting weaker states or leaders from the Global South, but when it comes to powerful nations and their allies, its rulings are disposable.
This is not merely a procedural failure. It is a moral collapse. The ICC arrest warrant represents the collective voice of the international community saying, “Enough is enough.” By ignoring it, the UN became complicit in shielding an accused perpetrator of genocide. Worse still, it tacitly endorsed the ongoing atrocities being committed against Palestinians.
A Tale of Two Leaders: Netanyahu vs. Abbas
The hypocrisy does not end there. The United States, as host country of the UN headquarters, denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to travel to New York and address the same General Assembly. This act of obstruction was not challenged by the UN or its member states.
Think about that for a moment: The US barred a recognized head of state representing a people facing extermination from even setting foot on UN premises. At the same time, the US facilitated the safe passage of a leader indicted for genocide to take the global stage and justify his crimes.
This selective application of international norms exposes the UN as a body captured by the interests of powerful nations, particularly the US and its allies. It reveals a system where the oppressor is celebrated and protected, while the oppressed are silenced and excluded.
UN member states should have refused to allow Netanyahu to speak. If Abbas could not address the Assembly because of US interference, then Netanyahu should have equally been barred. Anything less constitutes complicity in injustice.
If it was Iran or Nigeria or Jordan or China which had invaded and occupied a Western European country and subject them to genocide, surely the UN General Assembly and Security Council led by the US, UK and EU countries, by unanimous agreement would not invite their leader to the General Assembly.
Where is conscience? Where is humanity? Do you recognize the hypocrisy and double standards when you see one? Are the leaders of the world bereft of courage and conviction? Indeed, the UN has become the most despicable creation on this earth! Shame on these world’s Misleaders!
The Case for Moving the UN Headquarters
This incident once again raises a long-standing question: Why is the UN headquartered in the United States, a country that consistently undermines its work and resolutions?
From Donald Trump’s withdrawal from several UN bodies including the Human Rights Council and UNESCO to Washington’s repeated obstruction of resolutions designed to bring peace to Gaza, the US has shown blatant contempt for the institution’s mission.
The denial of Abbas’s visa is just the latest example of how the US weaponizes its role as host nation to shape global narratives and outcomes. This is unacceptable. If the UN is to function as a truly independent and impartial forum, it must consider relocating its headquarters to a neutral country where all member states can access it without discrimination or political manipulation.
The Unthinkable, Now Necessary: Expel Israel from the UN
Finally, the world must confront an uncomfortable truth: Israel has made a mockery of the UN for decades. It has flouted countless UN resolutions related to Palestinian statehood, human rights, and the cessation of settlement building. It has insulted and disparaged the UN, labeling it anti-Semitic whenever it attempts to hold Israel accountable. Most gravely, it is now accused by the ICC of perpetrating genocide, the very crime the UN was created to prevent in the aftermath of World War II.
What more must happen before the UN takes decisive action? If the organization could expel apartheid South Africa in 1974 for systemic racial oppression, why should Israel be treated differently today?
Expulsion is not just a symbolic gesture; it is a powerful tool to signal to the world that the UN will not tolerate genocide, apartheid, and the wholesale destruction of an entire people. Allowing Israel to remain within the UN while continuing its atrocities only normalizes these crimes and emboldens other states to act with impunity.
Conclusion: A Crisis of Legitimacy
Netanyahu’s speech at the UN General Assembly was not merely a diplomatic event. It was a defining moment that laid bare the structural inequities and failures of the international order.
The UN had a choice: uphold its charter and the authority of the ICC by refusing Netanyahu entry or capitulate to the will of the powerful and abandon its principles. By choosing the latter, it has deepened a crisis of legitimacy that may be irreversible.
For the sake of global justice and peace, the world must demand: Accountability for Netanyahu and other perpetrators of genocide, equal treatment for all member states, including Palestine. the relocation of the UN headquarters to a neutral territory and the expulsion of Israel until it complies fully with international law. Until these steps are taken, the UN will remain a stage for hypocrisy, where the powerful rewrite the rules and the victims are silenced. The world deserves better.
Selective Justice and Double Standards will not build a safe world for all. Time to Dissolve the 1945 Western-dominated, controlled and manipulated UN.
A Better, Democratic Global Body is Possible to Create Another World. A Better, Just and Equal World For Freedom, Peace and Prosperity For People and The Planet.
