JEWISH WORLD

Council to fulfill its responsibili- ties and finally recognize all of Hezbollah as a terrorist organiza- tion. As the global organization dedi- cated to safeguarding peace and security, one would think the UN would be eager to reimpose inter- national sanctions on Iran, apply- ing maximum pressure to roll back Iran’s terrorist network and nu- clear ambitions. Regrettably, however, rather than finding common ground to pressure the greatest threat to world peace in a generation, the Security Council members spent most of the past month parsing the deal’s fine print in order to find excuses why not to reinstate sanc- tions. As the majority of Security Council members worked diligent- ly in New York to shield Tehran from censure, the regime was busy executing Navid Afkari, among others, for the “crime” of protest- ing against the regime. Yet, in response, the Security Council members remained silent, and failed to as much as note this fla- grant human rights violation. I could receive no clearer lesson on the perverse disconnect bet- ween the high ideals of the UN Charter in theory and the cold real- ity of its implementation in prac- tice today. T he UN Charter calls on its members “to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors.” That is exactly what Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain courageously achieved in the past few weeks through the ground- breaking signing of the U.S.-bro- kered Abraham Accords. This historic achievement offered the UN a renewed chance to be on the right side of history, and I would have expected it to be a central theme of the UNGA’s high-level week. The UN had the chance to point to the accords as the very embodiment of the lofty ideals tout- ed in its charter and on its walls: In a region where conflict all-too- often appears inevitable and in- tractable, nations have decided to “beat their swords into plowshares.” Yet, again, I was sadly mistaken. While the secretary-general recog- nized progress made toward peace in Sudan, Afghanistan and else- where in the world, he did not even mention this historic normalization event. After sitting through a week of speeches during the UNGA, I again found myself disappointed. Rather than applaud such bold action and encourage other Arab states to follow suit, the UN was unable to evince even the slightest praise, merely noting the agreement only as it relates to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, rather than an outstanding achievement unto it- self. It appears that between the vari- ous bloated and redundant agencies and offices, the ever-expanding sec- retariat, professional staff and crip- pling bureaucracy, the UN, as it cur- rently stands, is institutionally inca- pable of adapting to new realities. It may be forever doomed to live in the past, a relic of a previous age. This has clear consequences. By failing to applaud the Abraham Accords, the UN perpetuates the falsehood that peace between Israel and her Arab neighbors, and peace between Israel and the Palestinians, are mutually exclusive. Rather than use this moment to encourage Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table, the UN sends the message that it prefers no peace to any peace, and perpetuates Abb- as’s rejectionism and the Pales- tinians’ victimhood narrative. The UN must act or it risks los- ing the little relevance and legiti- macy it still has. If it is unable to acknowledge and embrace peace, recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, or even halt the malign actions of the most danger- ous regime on the planet today, how can we expect it to be capable of any bold action tomorrow? As the United Nations turns 75, it is time for an organization founded in the aftermath of global tragedy to make a critical choice: Will it remain mired in its usual ways, acquiescing to repressive regimes, unable to live up to its founding principles? Or will it find a way to seize upon the spirit of progress that Israel, the UAE and Bahrain represent, and truly be a world leader for a safer future? Will the UN mean anything to humanity in another 75 years? That choice is for the United Nations and its member states to decide. Gilad Erdan is Israel’s ambas- sador to the UN. The UN continued from page 4 The UN has shown no interest in pressuring Iran to roll back its terrorist network and nuclear ambitions. 20 JEWISH WORLD • OCTOBER 16-22, 2020 whether for mayor, district attor- ney, state legislature, state gover- nor, the U.S. House of Represen- tatives, the U.S. Senate or Presi- dent — is to vote for someone who will enable the left to destroy America as we know it. (That is their wording, not only mine.) The Democratic Party was once large- ly liberal. But today, it is left, and the left readily acknowledges it wishes to “transform” America, which means to destroy America as we have known it. T o vote for any Democrat is to vote for the party that believes America is “systemically racist,” that it is rotten to the core, vile from its inception (in 1619, they claim, not 1776). To vote for any Democrat is to vote for the party that will renew the Obama agreement with one of America’s and the civilized world’s greatest enemies, the Is- lamic Republic of Iran. It is to vote for undoing every economic policy that led America to its greatest economic boom in memory. It is to vote for Kamala Harris, the most left-wing member of the U.S. Senate, for vice president (and, given Biden’s age and health, perhaps soon president). It is to vote for the party that wants to allow millions more ille- gal immigrants into America and grant them benefits heretofore reserved for Americans. Demo- crats don’t use the words “open borders,” but they support this country-wrecking policy. It is to vote for the party that supports the Green New Deal, or something very close to it, which will further ruin an economy already in ruins from Democrat- supported lockdowns. It is to vote for the party that seeks to nationalize American health care (“Medicare for All”). It is to vote for the party whose mayors, governors and district attorneys allow violent riots and seek to “defund” police, a policy even most blacks oppose. It is to vote for the party that supports the unprecedented sup- pression of free speech by Big Tech and universities. It is to vote for the party that insists that men menstruate and that biological men must be allowed to compete against bio- logical women in sports, no mat- ter how often the biological men defeat them. It is to vote for the party with the only anti-Semites, not to mention Israel-haters, in Con- gress. It is to vote for the party that, for the first time in American his- tory, openly identifies with socialism more than with capital- ism. It is to vote for the party that Big Pharma, big corporations and radical teachers unions support. All because many Americans like their Democratic candidate for a Senate seat (as in Arizona) or the Democratic candidate for president more than the Republ- ican candidate. They do not appreciate a likeable Democrat will do as much harm to our country as any other Democrat. Dennis Prager is a syndicated radio talk show host, columnist, author, and public speaker. Notion continued from page 5 Since slavery, there has never been a time when the two major parties differed as much as they do today.