Amid growing Israeli criticism of the United Nations and allegations of anti-Israel bias within its institutions, Israel’s mission to the UN is promoting an initiative to increase the number of Israeli nationals employed by the organization, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
The initiative aims to encourage more Israelis to apply for professional and managerial positions at UN headquarters in New York and at UN offices and agencies around the world, expanding Israeli representation beyond the country’s diplomatic mission.
As part of the effort, the Israeli mission is seeking to make greater use of existing UN recruitment mechanisms designed to address the underrepresentation of nationals from certain member states, including Israel, within the organization’s workforce.
The positions in question would be regular UN staff appointments, rather than diplomatic posts or positions filled by the Israeli government.
The initiative comes amid longstanding tensions between Israel and the United Nations over the organization’s handling of issues related to Israel and the Palestinians. Israeli officials have repeatedly accused UN bodies of applying double standards to Israel, while the organization maintains that its staff recruitment processes are governed by established international civil service rules.
It remains unclear how many Israeli nationals are currently employed by the UN or how many additional positions the initiative is intended to fill. No recruitment targets or timetable have been disclosed.
Danon: Israeli voice must be heard
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, told The Jerusalem Post that increasing Israeli representation within the organization was particularly important at a time of heightened tensions.
“Especially at a time when we are fighting antisemitism and bias against Israel within the organization’s institutions, it is important that more Israelis take on meaningful roles within the system,” Danon said.
“The Israeli voice should be heard not only from the UN podium, but also in the corridors and meeting rooms where decisions are made,” he added.