views guest column Is A New Day Dawning For Israel At The U.N.? T SHAHAR AZRAN Sheryl Silver wo thousand pro-Israel activists singing Hatikvah at the United Nations? Just a weird dream? No. It actu- ally occurred — twice: Last May at the first Ambassadors Against BDS summit hosted by Israel’s dynamic U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, then again, this year, at the second annual Ambassadors Against BDS summit. And this time, I was there. Considering the Israel-bashing that normally goes on at the U.N., I thought being there, sing- ing Israel’s national anthem with 2,000 others who love Israel, would be a memorable moment … and it was. The conference was far more than a memorable moment. It was an information-packed day designed to update us on progress in the effort to defeat the BDS movement and provide effective strategies for complet- ing the task. We heard from Ambassador Danon, America’s U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Natan Sharansky, World Jewish Congress CEO, Robert Singer and ZOA National President Morton Klein, among others. From all I heard, there is hope on the horizon for Israel across the U.S. and even at the U.N. In his opening remarks, Danon pointed to recent suc- cesses against the BDS move- ment. “Banks across the world are shutting down the accounts of BDS activists,” he said. “Musicians and artists have stood up against calls to boycott Israel and performed to rave reviews. And, most importantly, governments and leaders are finally acknowledging the BDS movement for what it really is — pure anti-Semitism.” He spoke of the “disturbing and troubling trend of increased anti-Semitic incidents” world- wide, then returned to successes on the BDS front. “One year after we first gath- ered, our call is being heeded,” he said. “Seventeen U.S. states now have anti-BDS initiatives on their books and more will soon join them.” (Update: In May, Teaxas, Minnesota and Nevada passed initiatives, bringing the total to 20 states.) Danon cautioned against com- placency. “We cannot rest for even a moment,” he said. ”The BDS movement is still active and still strong. Every day, academic and religious groups, student unions and investment firms are falling prey to boycott calls.” The greatest danger of BDS, he said, “is not in their threats,” but “in their ability to cower us into silence. If we do not stand up strongly — if we do not speak the truth on campuses, in the boardroom and here in the U.N., they will win.” U.N. ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS Danon noted that 20 resolu- tions condemning Israel had been adopted by the General Assembly in 2016 alone, com- pared to only six condemn- ing all other nations. He also criticized the “chutzpah” of the Security Council’s resolution last December questioning the legitimacy of Israel’s presence in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, “Israel’s chal- lenges at the U.N. don’t end with hate-filled resolutions,” he said. “The halls of the U.N. are now being infiltrated by the boycott movement as well. The U.N. Human Rights Council announced that it is creating a Ambassadors Haley and Danon Attendees of the conference 10 June 1 • 2017 jn blacklist of companies operating in parts of Israel.” He then made this critical point: “This conference isn’t just about stopping a boycott. It’s about making clear once and for all that the Jewish people and the Jewish state will not be treat- ed differently. The Jewish com- munity does not need to be only defended but celebrated and embraced. And Israel does not only have the right to exist. It is entitled to flourish and thrive.” POWERFUL SPEAKERS Following Danon’s speech, Summit moderator, journal- ist Liz Claman, introduced Ambassador Haley, referencing Haley’s now-famous, “The days of Israel-bashing at the U.N. are over” remark. Haley quickly made her sup- port for Israel and opposition to the BDS movement crystal clear. “I am here today as a proud daughter of South Carolina as much as I am here as our U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” she began. “I could not be more proud of the people of my home state and the unwaver- ing support they’ve shown for Israel over the decades.” After all, “What other state in the nation with less than 1 per- cent Jewish population gives its residents the opportunity to buy an ‘I stand with Israel’ license plate?” she asked. South Carolina led the nation in taking on the anti-Semitic BDS movement. A law was passed in 2015 that bans tax- payer funds from being used to do business with any company that discriminates on the basis of race, color, religion, gender or national origin, including those involved in the BDS movement. “The effort to delegitimize the state of Israel being waged on college campuses and the anti-Israel obsession at the U.N. are one in the same,” Haley said. “They both seek to deny Israel’s right to exist. They are both efforts to intimidate her friends and embolden her enemies.” World Jewish Congress (WJC) CEO Robert Singer was the final speaker of the plenary ses- sion. “The boycott, divestment and sanctions movement says it wants peace,” he said. “It claims to fight under the banner of human rights. But this move- ment is based on lies, incite- ment and deception. BDS is not about peace. BDS is not about helping the Palestinians. BDS is not about human rights. What BDS really wants is to deny the Jewish people’s right to a home- land in Israel.” Singer noted that Congress had passed a federal law that opposes politically motivated actions that penalize or other- wise limit commercial relations with Israel, like BDS. Senators Joe Manchin and Marco Rubio also introduced the Combating BDS Act of 2017. This calls for protecting states and local gov- ernments from lawsuits over anti-BDS legislation. Noting that the BDS move- ment has also suffered signifi- cant losses in Canada, the UK, France and Spain, he stated, “Operation Fightback is under way — and we are winning. “It may sound strange to hear what I am about to say: Winds of change are blowing even here at U.N. Headquarters.” The new U.N. Secretary Gen. Antonio Guterres, he said, “is a friend of the Jewish people. He wants Israel to be treated fairly, just like any other country.” There’s already evidence of that. In mid-March, a report accusing Israel of establishing an apartheid regime that oppressed the Palestinian people was released by the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Outraged by the report’s anti- Israel bias, Danon immediately called, then met with Haley. They issued separate statements calling on Guterres to reject the report. Within 24 hours, the report was removed from the UNESCWA website. Call me naïve, but I left the Ambassadors Against BDS sum- mit optimistic about Israel’s future at the U.N. With Danon, Haley and Guterres there, the expression “dream team” comes to mind. Under their leadership, let’s hope Israel’s U.N. night- mares come to an end … and our dreams of fair treatment for Israel at the U.N. come true. • Sheryl Silver is a former national secre- tary of ZOA, founder of the Enough is Enough Initiative and a lifelong Temple Israel member.