by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – The United Nations Security Council is facing sharp criticism after scheduling a meeting on the Gaza war for Tuesday afternoon–directly overlapping with the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
The council’s official calendar lists the session only as a “Middle East” briefing. Still, sources told the Washington Free Beacon that the meeting will focus on Gaza and was deliberately timed to coincide with Rosh Hashanah at the urging of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which includes Iran, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, and Algeria. Algeria, the sources said, aggressively pushed for the session to fall within the Jewish holiday.
Rosh Hashanah runs from sundown Monday through Wednesday night. With the UN General Assembly’s high-level debate spanning five days, critics argue the Gaza session could easily have been scheduled afterward. South Korea, which currently holds the Security Council presidency, set the date — signaling it capitulated to OIC demands, according to the Free Beacon.
‘A Farce’ and ‘Performative Gestures’
One source told the Free Beacon the timing is “yet another example of how the U.N. is a fundamentally unserious institution.”
“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,” the source said.
A former U.S. diplomat was even more direct, calling the move “outright anti-Semitism.”
“The United Nations has long had an anti-Israel problem–if not actual, outright anti-Semitism–but purposely hosting such a meeting on one of the holiest days for the Jewish community is them going out of their way to exclude Jews who observe Rosh Hashanah and serves as a statement against the world’s only Jewish state,” the diplomat told the Free Beacon.
Pressure for Palestinian Recognition
The meeting comes as Arab states and some Western allies escalate pressure on Israel through unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. On Sunday, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia jointly announced their recognition of “Palestine.” Because any full UN membership requires Security Council approval, Tuesday’s debate is expected to highlight the issue.
Jonathan Harounoff, spokesman for Israel’s mission to the UN, said these moves are counterproductive.
“We’re seeing a lot of performative gestures and empty declarations that aren’t advancing peace–or anything in the region,” Harounoff told the Free Beacon. “You cannot have serious conversations … while 48 hostages remain in brutal Hamas terror tunnels and while Hamas continues to reign over Gaza.”
Hostage Families and Jewish Leaders Condemn Move
Hostage families also rebuked the international push. Sixteen relatives wrote to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer that his recognition of a Palestinian state “has dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones,” according to the Free Beacon.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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