U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, lawmakers from the European, Dutch and Czech parliaments, and eminent intellectuals and national security experts delivered powerful remarks before a crowd of more than 1,000 people who came from across Europe. Israeli-Ethiopian singer Hagit Yaso delivered a moving musical performance.
Under the banner of “Enough Is Enough,” UN Watch’s Rally For Equal Rights at the UN was the most significant gathering of its kind to demand an end to discrimination against Israel.
In addition, more than 10,000 people worldwide joined the campaign by signing UN Watch’s online petition against UN bias, presented to the world body later in the day.
News Impact
UN Watch’s protest rally and call to end anti-Israeli bias was reported around the world, including by Agence France Presse, Voice of America, Dutch newspaper Reformatisch Dagblad and The Jerusalem Post.
Voting Impact
In wake of the rally, several countries changed their votes:
• Britain for the first time in history voted ‘No’ to all four Arab-sponsored resolutions tabled under the anti-Israeli Agenda Item 7.
• Denmark, a new member of the Council, fully backed Israel on the four votes, a marked departure from its usual policy in UN bodies.
• On the annual “Accountability” resolution that called to prosecute IDF soldiers for “war crimes,” Brazil, Hungary, and Ukraine changed their votes to ‘No.’
• On the annual resolution calling on Israel to surrender the Golan to Syria, Japan and Brazil changed their votes to ‘No.’
Together, UN Watch and its allies are effecting change. But we still have critical work to do to combat the UN’s ritual scapegoating of the world’s only Jewish state.
