UN Schedules Gaza Meeting During Rosh Hashanah: An Unprecedented Case of Religious Exclusion
The timing appears designed to prevent Israeli officials and observant Jews from participating in discussions about Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas.
According to a report by the WFB the Security Council’s public calendar shows only that a “Middle East” briefing is slated for Tuesday, the first day of high-level debate at the U.N. General Assembly. However, sources familiar with the meeting revealed that it will focus specifically on the war in Gaza and was deliberately scheduled during Rosh Hashanah due to pressure from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The OIC, which describes itself as the “collective voice of the Muslim world,” maintains a permanent delegation to the U.N. and includes members such as Iran, Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan. Algeria, another OIC member, was reportedly “especially aggressive in pushing for the Gaza meeting to fall within Rosh Hashanah,” according to the Free Beacon’s reporting.
The Jewish holiday begins at sundown on Monday and concludes at nightfall on Wednesday. Notably, the U.N. General Assembly high-level debate continues for five days after Rosh Hashanah ends, providing ample opportunity to schedule the Gaza meeting at a time when all relevant parties could participate.
Rosh Hashanah holds profound meaning in Jewish tradition as the Jewish New Year and Day of Judgment. According to Jewish belief, this is the day when the entire world is judged by God, occurring seven days after the creation of the world. For religiously observant and even moderately observant Jews, participation in work activities or official meetings is prohibited during this sacred time, making the UN’s scheduling particularly exclusionary.
The timing has drawn sharp criticism from multiple quarters. One source familiar with the meeting described it as “yet another example of how the U.N. is a fundamentally unserious institution,” telling the Free Beacon: “It’s a farce for the Security Council to schedule this meeting on Rosh Hashanah, knowing Israel can’t participate or respond to the anti-Semitic dogpile that will take place.”
Signs of the Times
‘Israel will kneel’ to world pressure on Palestine: PA official
The Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to the United Nations hailed recent recognitions of an independent Palestinian state by major world powers, saying the momentum will increase international pressure on Israel.
PA Ambassador Riyad Mansour made the remarks in Arabic-language interviews and statements after the UK, Australia, Canada, and Portugal announced formal recognition of Palestine on Sunday.
Mansour said the move signaled that “soon, the entire world would recognize an independent Palestinian state.”
The recognitions are “historic, especially coming from Britain,” Mansour added, saying he believed that achieving “permanent status for Palestine at the UN” was on the horizon.
Mansour praised Colombia for ending diplomatic relations with Israel and Norway for divesting billions from investments tied to Israeli companies — actions he described as part of a growing list of measures that will “limit this illegal occupation.”
The ambassador added that “these are only examples of practical measures that will multiply and expand to limit this illegal occupation until Netanyahu and his government kneel and submit to the will of the world and the people.”
The diplomat added that “what is needed now are stronger practical steps that will suffocate this illegal occupation like those taken by Spain.”
He called for other countries to replicate Madrid’s steps, including bans on arms shipments to Israel and restrictions on ports or airports used as stopovers for shipments of weapons.
On Monday, the UN General Assembly in New York will hold a summit, called the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.
During the meeting, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, most member states are expected to vote to support the official recognition of a Palestinian state by the UN.
Israel has expressed that it will take punitive measures against countries recognizing Palestine, with Israeli diplomats calling the move a “reward” for the October 7th massacres.
“The only beneficiary is Hamas… When terrorists are the ones cheering, you are not advancing peace; you are advancing terror,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in New York last week.