On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid is set to come before the assembled representatives of the nations of the world and speak on matters of critical importance to the Jewish state as part of the opening meeting of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.
When Lapid ascends to the rostrum, he will be joining a long and dignified list of leaders and representatives who have appeared before the international community to advocate on behalf of Israel, as well as to defend its citizens and their right to live in peace and security.
Over the past 75 years, a number of Israel-related moments at the UN have stood out for both their importance and their long-lasting impact.
The following are the top five Israel moments at the United Nations (in chronological order):
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1. The UN Partition Vote (1947)
One of the most important Israel moments at the United Nations actually occurred before the establishment of the Jewish state.
In February 1947, the UK government announced its intention to terminate the British Mandate of Palestine, turning the question of the future of the land over to the United Nations.
In response, the UN set up the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) and tasked it with finding a solution to the question of Palestine.
After meeting with representatives of the British administration, the Jewish community and the Arab community (despite the official Arab boycott of the committee), the majority of the members of UNSCOP recommended to the UN that the land be partitioned into a Jewish state and an Arab state, with Jerusalem as an internationalized city.
Even though the proposal reduced the size of their homeland, in addition to bringing their holiest city under international jurisdiction, the Jewish community overwhelmingly supported partition. The majority of the Arab community rejected it.
On November 29, 1947, the partition plan came before a session of the UN General Assembly for a vote. In order to pass, the plan needed the support of two-thirds of valid votes.
After indefatigable campaigning by Zionist activists in the lead-up to the vote, the partition plan was adopted as resolution 181 with 33 countries in favor, 13 against and 10 abstaining.
Although the partition plan was never implemented, many view it as the first time the international community accepted the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the Jewish people’s native homeland.
Related Reading: In Focus: How The UN Partition Plan Led to Israel’s Birth
2. Abba Eban’s ‘Historic’ Speech (1967)
Following Israel’s miraculous victory against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan during the Six Day War, the United Nations General Assembly held an emergency session to discuss the conflict in the Middle East. Led by the Soviet Union, a number of countries used this special session to condemn Israel for its defensive war and accused it of behaving with belligerence and aggression.
Following a speech by the Soviet premier on June 19, 1967, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Abba Eban, rose before the plenum to respond to the accusations leveled against the Jewish state as well as to defend Israel’s actions during the war.
Known for his skilled oratory and sharp witticisms, Eban was already renowned for the speech he gave before the Security Council on the second day of the war, which was described by one observer as “one of the great diplomatic speeches of all time.”
On June 19, Eban once again effectively presented Israel’s case before the international community by describing the belligerent spirit that gripped Israel’s enemies prior to the war, the failure of the international community to reduce the pre-war tensions in the Middle East, and Jerusalem’s hopes for a calm and peaceful future.
Abba Eban’s eloquent presentation before the emergency session of the General Assembly was so inspirational that it was later released as an audio record with the title ‘Abba Eban: His Memorable, Historic Speech of June 19, 1967.‘
Related Reading: A Ceasefire Line Is Not a Border for a Palestinian State: Debunking the Green Line Myth
3. Israel vs. Yasser Arafat at the General Assembly (1974)
On November 13, 1974, Yasser Arafat, the then-chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), was invited to address the plenum of the General Assembly, becoming the first non-government representative to do so since 1965.
Wearing a traditional keffiyeh headdress and boasting a gun holster on his hip, Arafat’s 90-minute speech included denunciations of Israel, called for a one-state solution, and claimed that Zionism was a form of imperial colonialism.
Arafat’s address was interrupted numerous times by the applause of representatives of the Soviet Bloc, East Asian nations, and African countries.
The legacy of this speech has been the UN’s granting of non-state observer status to the PLO as well as the importance given to Arafat’s closing line, “I come to you bearing an olive branch in one hand and a freedom fighter’s gun in the other. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.”
For Israel, Arafat’s invitation to the United Nations was a slap in the face, as the PLO was then considered by the Jewish state to be a terrorist organization due to the PLO’s attacks on Israeli civilians and infrastructure, including an attempted bombing of the national water carrier, cross-border raids and the murder of 21 school children earlier that year.
In response to Arafat’s speech, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Yosef Tekoah, took the podium and called the PLO “murderers” and “agents of death.”
Facing the delegations represented at the General Assembly, Tekoah spoke even more bluntly, stating that “The murderers of athletes in the Olympic Games in Munich, the butchers of children in Maalot, the assassins of diplomats in Khartoum do not belong in the international community.”
Related Reading: PLO Still Lying About Arafat’s Legacy
4. Israeli Ambassador Chaim Herzog tears up UNGA resolution 3379 (1975)
Less than a year after Yasser Arafat’s speech to the United Nations, the General Assembly voted on Resolution 3379, equating Zionism with racism. The resolution, which was backed by the Soviet Bloc, the Arab states and some African states, passed with 72 votes in favor, 35 votes against and 32 abstentions.
While a number of countries spoke out against the resolution and its antisemitic nature, one of the most compelling addresses was made by Israel’s ambassador to the UN — and future Israeli president — Chaim Herzog.
Herzog began his response by noting that the vote to delegitimize the Jewish state fell on the anniversary of Kristallnacht and then delved into a comprehensive history of Judaism, Zionism, and antisemitism.
Herzog also pointed to the integration of Arabs into Israeli society, proving the resolution’s claims to be lies and falsehoods.
The climax of this speech came at the end when Herzog announced to the assembled nations that “For us, the Jewish people, this resolution, based on hatred, falsehood and arrogance, is devoid of any moral or legal value. For us, the Jewish people, this is no more than a piece of paper, and we shall treat it as such” and then tore the text of the resolution in half.
The resolution was ultimately repealed in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Chaim Herzog’s fiery speech on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people continues to inspire and encourage defenders of Israel and human rights today. Upon the 40th anniversary of the vote, both the Knesset and the United Nations itself (!) held ceremonies commemorating Herzog’s stirring words.
Related Reading: The UN’s ‘Zionism is Racism’ Resolution: From Passage to Repeal and Beyond
5. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Uses Visual Aids to Warn About Iran (2009-2018)
As the longest-serving prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has had numerous opportunities to address the UN General Assembly as part of its opening session.
Beginning in 2009, Netanyahu used the podium at the UNGA in order to warn the world about the growing threat to Israel and the international community from Iran.
A trademark of Netanyahu’s UN speeches about Iran has been his use of visual aids in order to emphasize his points.
In 2009, in his condemnation of then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial, Netanyahu held up before the assembled nations of the world original copies of the Nazis’ plans for the Holocaust, rhetorically asking “Is this protocol a lie?” and “Are these plans lies too?”
In 2012, Netanyahu brought out a cartoon-like drawing of a bomb and then proceeded to color in a red line, symbolizing Israel’s “red line” for the Islamic Republic’s development of a nuclear weapon.
In 2018, during his speech to the General Assembly, Netanyahu used an image of a secret Iranian nuclear facility, a map of Hezbollah missile sites in Beirut, and a map of Iran’s nuclear facilities in order to drive home his point about the threats emanating from the Islamic Republic and their regional proxies.
While not a visual aid, Netanyahu also made use of dramatic oratory during his 2015 speech to the General Assembly. After castigating the international community for their “deafening silence” in the face of Iranian threats toward Israel and the Jewish people, Netanyahu silently glared at the assembled delegates for 45 seconds.
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Featured Image: Eduardo Munoz/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
