Latest news with #Bayefsky
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN global comms arm under fire for anti-Israel bias as critics call for reforms
As a major "liquidity crisis" looms for United Nations entities in the face of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) funding cuts, with experts saying the Trump administration should examine the U.N.'s media branch, the Department of Global Communications, for its role in churning out anti-Israel propaganda. "The U.N. continues its spin-cycle messaging machine without washing out its waste and inefficiencies," former National Security Council Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Organization Affairs Hugh Dugan told Fox News Digital. "That's its real liquidity crisis." Among the Department of Global Communications' responsibilities are the provision of press support, upkeep of the U.N. Dag Hammarskjöld Library, heading of worldwide information centers and coordination of the U.N.'s Twitter presence. A full independent review of the Department's activities is set to begin this year. Head Of Un Watchdog Says Unrwa Hired People 'Who Were Supporting Terrorism' Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices, expressed her desire for the U.S. itself to examine the Department of Global Communications' funding. Bayefsky told Fox News Digital that "the United Nations is the world headquarters of global disinformation," with an "assembly line of lies, hate speech, incitement to violence, and antisemitism [that] is totally out-of-control." Bayefsky said it is the "organization itself that poses an integrity risk — to world peace, civilized discourse, and human rights protection. The information environment cultivated by the U.N. has been poisoning the minds of generations of Americans, so isn't it about time that Washington posed a risk to this U.N. 'work'?" Read On The Fox News App The Department's fixation on Israel was evidenced in a February report about its operations, in which it briefly described crisis communications cells it runs regarding worldwide disasters in Haiti, Sudan and Ukraine, and went into more expansive detail describing its cell on "Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory." According to the Department, the crisis in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory "required strong messaging and outreach to ensure continued international support for the work of the United Nations and its partners." The Department also mentioned that the cell "analyzed information integrity risks, such as the spread of misinformation and disinformation about United Nations work." Throughout 2024, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) came under serious scrutiny and lost donors after information was uncovered about UNRWA leaders' and members' ties to terrorism, and the hate propelled through UNRWA curricula. Un Blames Israelis For Attack On Compound But Doesn't Mention Hamas, Says Forced To Reduce Gaza Footprint Fox News Digital asked Melissa Fleming, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Communications, to clarify the department's allegations of misinformation and disinformation, and to describe why "strong messaging" was required of the department. Fleming explained that the Department needed to "clearly explain the role" of the U.N. and its humanitarian agencies, and analyze "information environments to better understand trends that might pose risk to the U.N.'s work." Dugan, who was a senior advisor to 11 U.S. ambassadors to the U.N. said when it comes to the crisis in Gaza, "there's some special treatment they're giving to that region and the coverage of it, which I think is concerning to me." He noted that cells focusing on Haiti, Ukraine, and Sudan "don't talk about misinformation [or] disinformation." The situation, he said, "wreaks… of the U.N.'s hand in propagandizing and service as a type of mediator of what information gets to whom, and when, and how." Asked how many hours the Department of Global Communications devoted to its various crisis cells, Fleming said that time "is determined by a number of factors," including "the scale of the crisis and the speed of developments on the ground," and the level of international interest and U.N. events involved with the crisis. Fleming added that cells meet more often "in the early stages of a crisis." Fleming said that "the Israel-Occupied Palestinian Territory crisis communications cell has met on a weekly basis for approximately one hour" following the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. She noted that this was "equivalent to the frequency and timing of meetings for the Ukraine crisis during the first year of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation in 2022." World Forgets 'Catastrophic' War In Sudan As Russia, Iran, Others Reportedly Feed Fighting With Arms Fleming did not state how much time has been devoted to the Haiti or Sudan crisis cells. The organization's report on its activities refers to the situation in Sudan as a "massive humanitarian crisis." In January, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that rebel actions in Sudan constituted genocide. Blinken described how tens of thousands of Sudanese individuals had died in conflict, that 30 million required humanitarian aid and that 638,000 were experiencing "the worst famine in Sudan's recent history." Blinken stated that Sudanese rebel group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) "and RSF-aligned militias have continued to direct attacks against civilians, have systematically murdered men and boys — even infants — on an ethnic basis, and (have) deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence." The U.N.'s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan did not mention genocide in its September 2024 findings that "Sudan's warring parties have committed an appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes, including many which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity." Conversely, the U.N. Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices declared in November 2024 that "Israel's warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, with mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians." Former national security advisor Jake Sullivan said last year that the Biden administration does "not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide." David May, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that "the focus on an imagined genocide, Gaza, is taking time and focus away from an actual genocide, Sudan." May added that "essentially, the Department of Global Communications is tasked with presenting a Palestinian narrative and uses U.N. funds to act as another pro-Palestinian U.N. body." May said that "while the United States withholds funding to the United Nations proportionate to the budgets of Palestinian-specific bodies, Washington does not account for more general U.N. departments carrying out an anti-Israel agenda." Dugan expressed concern over the Department of Global Communications' emphasis on its role in combating misinformation in its latest report. It "sends its mandate to go far beyond daily relations with the press corps," he explained, and instead "sets them up to be judge, jury and executioner on storylines and narratives that the secretariat employees find offensive."Original article source: UN global comms arm under fire for anti-Israel bias as critics call for reforms
Fox News
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
UN global comms arm under fire for anti-Israel bias as critics call for reforms
As a major "liquidity crisis" looms for United Nations entities in the face of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) funding cuts, with experts saying the Trump administration should examine the U.N.'s media branch, the Department of Global Communications, for its role in churning out anti-Israel propaganda. "The U.N. continues its spin-cycle messaging machine without washing out its waste and inefficiencies," former National Security Council Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Organization Affairs Hugh Dugan told Fox News Digital. "That's its real liquidity crisis." Among the Department of Global Communications' responsibilities are the provision of press support, upkeep of the U.N. Dag Hammarskjöld Library, heading of worldwide information centers and coordination of the U.N.'s Twitter presence. A full independent review of the Department's activities is set to begin this year. Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices, expressed her desire for the U.S. itself to examine the Department of Global Communications' funding. Bayefsky told Fox News Digital that "the United Nations is the world headquarters of global disinformation," with an "assembly line of lies, hate speech, incitement to violence, and antisemitism [that] is totally out-of-control." Bayefsky said it is the "organization itself that poses an integrity risk — to world peace, civilized discourse, and human rights protection. The information environment cultivated by the U.N. has been poisoning the minds of generations of Americans, so isn't it about time that Washington posed a risk to this U.N. 'work'?" The Department's fixation on Israel was evidenced in a February report about its operations, in which it briefly described crisis communications cells it runs regarding worldwide disasters in Haiti, Sudan and Ukraine, and went into more expansive detail describing its cell on "Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory." According to the Department, the crisis in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory "required strong messaging and outreach to ensure continued international support for the work of the United Nations and its partners." The Department also mentioned that the cell "analyzed information integrity risks, such as the spread of misinformation and disinformation about United Nations work." Throughout 2024, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) came under serious scrutiny and lost donors after information was uncovered about UNRWA leaders' and members' ties to terrorism, and the hate propelled through UNRWA curricula. Fox News Digital asked Melissa Fleming, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Communications, to clarify the department's allegations of misinformation and disinformation, and to describe why "strong messaging" was required of the department. Fleming explained that the Department needed to "clearly explain the role" of the U.N. and its humanitarian agencies, and analyze "information environments to better understand trends that might pose risk to the U.N.'s work." Dugan, who was a senior advisor to 11 U.S. ambassadors to the U.N. said when it comes to the crisis in Gaza, "there's some special treatment they're giving to that region and the coverage of it, which I think is concerning to me." He noted that cells focusing on Haiti, Ukraine, and Sudan "don't talk about misinformation [or] disinformation." The situation, he said, "wreaks… of the U.N.'s hand in propagandizing and service as a type of mediator of what information gets to whom, and when, and how." Asked how many hours the Department of Global Communications devoted to its various crisis cells, Fleming said that time "is determined by a number of factors," including "the scale of the crisis and the speed of developments on the ground," and the level of international interest and U.N. events involved with the crisis. Fleming added that cells meet more often "in the early stages of a crisis." Fleming said that "the Israel-Occupied Palestinian Territory crisis communications cell has met on a weekly basis for approximately one hour" following the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. She noted that this was "equivalent to the frequency and timing of meetings for the Ukraine crisis during the first year of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation in 2022." Fleming did not state how much time has been devoted to the Haiti or Sudan crisis cells. The organization's report on its activities refers to the situation in Sudan as a "massive humanitarian crisis." In January, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that rebel actions in Sudan constituted genocide. Blinken described how tens of thousands of Sudanese individuals had died in conflict, that 30 million required humanitarian aid and that 638,000 were experiencing "the worst famine in Sudan's recent history." Blinken stated that Sudanese rebel group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) "and RSF-aligned militias have continued to direct attacks against civilians, have systematically murdered men and boys — even infants — on an ethnic basis, and (have) deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence." The U.N.'s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan did not mention genocide in its September 2024 findings that "Sudan's warring parties have committed an appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes, including many which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity." Conversely, the U.N. Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices declared in November 2024 that "Israel's warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, with mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians." Former national security advisor Jake Sullivan said last year that the Biden administration does "not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide." David May, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that "the focus on an imagined genocide, Gaza, is taking time and focus away from an actual genocide, Sudan." May added that "essentially, the Department of Global Communications is tasked with presenting a Palestinian narrative and uses U.N. funds to act as another pro-Palestinian U.N. body." May said that "while the United States withholds funding to the United Nations proportionate to the budgets of Palestinian-specific bodies, Washington does not account for more general U.N. departments carrying out an anti-Israel agenda." Dugan expressed concern over the Department of Global Communications' emphasis on its role in combating misinformation in its latest report. It "sends its mandate to go far beyond daily relations with the press corps," he explained, and instead "sets them up to be judge, jury and executioner on storylines and narratives that the secretariat employees find offensive."
Fox News
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
UN official denies seeing 'a shred of evidence' showing staff in Gaza held hostages
The United Nations' top humanitarian aid official told Fox News Digital he has "not seen a shred of evidence" of the U.N.'s involvement, either through the use of its facilities or its staff, in the holding of hostages in Gaza. When asked about former Hamas hostages' claims that they were held in U.N. facilities or by U.N. staff, Tom Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), denied seeing any evidence of the claims. "I have not seen a shred of evidence so far, and I have asked for it, that suggests that U.N. – that there was any U.N. acquiescence in there or involvement in using U.N. buildings or U.N. staff being involved in holding those hostages," Fletcher said during a news conference. He also said that "if we get evidence of a U.N. worker involved in an act of terrorism or hostage-taking, yes of course we're going to investigate." Fletcher offered to lead the investigation himself. Emily Damari, a former Hamas hostage who was released in the most recent ceasefire deal, alleged she was held at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) facility while in captivity. Damari, who holds British and Israeli citizenships, told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that she was denied proper medical care while being held at an UNRWA school. Fletcher said the facility was "a shelter that had been used by the U.N. before we were bombed out of it by the Israelis." He acknowledged that Hamas may have then used the facility, but said it was when the U.N. was not "there to stop them from doing that." In a statement to Fox News Digital, Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon called on the U.N. to investigate "these very serious claims." "We believe the testimonies of the Israeli hostages who went through hell in Hamas captivity. Rather than dedicating ample resources and efforts to demonizing Israel, the U.N. should be thoroughly investigating these very serious claims about U.N. complicity in depraved Hamas terrorism," Danon said in the statement. Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices, slammed the U.N. over its "singular pattern of behavior when confronted with the truth about UNRWA and the involvement of U.N. actors in terrorism against Jews: deny, deflect and carry on." "Israel has presented mountains of evidence of UNRWA's participation in the Oct. 7 atrocities, and its ongoing attempts to save Hamas – which the U.N. denies is a terrorist organization," Bayefsky added. "The 'see no evil, hear no evil response' – again – in the face of this gut-wrenching information from a hostage is quite simply, despicable." Bayefsky said that "as far as the U.N. misinformation machine is concerned, the evidence is never enough." While Fletcher says he has not seen "a shred of evidence," the U.N. Office of Oversight Services (OIOS), which reviewed Israel's claims, said, "UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the 7 October attacks." The OIOS examined evidence of U.N. workers' involvement in the attacks and found there was "insufficient" evidence of nine workers taking part in the massacre. However, it did not completely discount the possibility. In fact, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini issued a statement on the probe and determined that the employees in question "cannot work for UNRWA." Fox News reached out to a representative for Damari's family, but did not receive a response to what Fletcher said.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
American censored by UN Human Rights Council, accused of using 'disrespectful language'
FIRST ON FOX — The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) abruptly cut off a video statement when the speaker mentioned the fate of Ariel and Kfir Bibas. The incident took place during an "Interactive Dialogue" regarding the UNHRC's consideration of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk's report on "the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice." During an "Interactive Dialogue" experts are allowed to speak to the council about human rights issues being discussed during the regular session. Israel's Un Ambassador Slams Hamas' 'Evil And Depraved' Display Of Hostages' Coffins Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust Director Anne Bayefsky says she submitted a video statement to UNHRC, but was cut off after just a few seconds. President of the U.N. Human Rights Council Jürg Lauber stopped the video and declared that Bayefsky had used inappropriate language. Bayefsky begins by saying "The world now knows Palestinian savages murdered 9-month-old baby Kfir," and is almost immediately cut off by Lauber. Read On The Fox News App "Sorry, I have to interrupt," Lauber abruptly said as the video of Bayefsky was paused. Lauber briefly objected to the "language" used in the video, but then allowed it to continue. After a few more seconds, the video was shut off entirely. Lauber reiterated that "the language that's used by the speaker cannot be tolerated," adding that it "exceeds clearly the limits of tolerance and respect." 'No Sane Country Would Stand For This': Lawmakers Launch Effort To Withdraw Us From Un Bayefsky told Fox News Digital exclusively that U.N.-accredited NGOs are required to give transcripts and videos one day in advance of the "Interactive Dialogue." She believes the U.N. "stage managed" the incident, as the council had advanced access to her video and a transcript and knew what she would say. U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Spokesperson Pascal Sim did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on Bayefsky's allegations. "It's a total farce. There is no free speech at the U.N. for any NGO that calls out U.N. antisemitism. This is not harmless censorship. This is a war that the U.N. has declared against Jews, against Americans, and against free speech," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. Bayefsky explained to Fox News Digital that she started her video this way because she was allotted 1 minute and 30 seconds to address the council and wanted to "get right to the point." "The actual horrors of the extermination of the Bibas babies by Palestinians was off limits and pointing out the UN responsibility for their murder and torture was 'inappropriate,'" Bayefsky said. Bayefsky also contends that another part of her video may have been to blame for the censorship. "What U.N. officials knew, and the audience didn't, was that in my statement I demanded accountability for High Commissioner Türk himself - one of the world's primary drivers of Palestinian terrorism and antisemitism on a global scale," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. In a transcript of the blocked video shared with Fox News Digital, Bayefsky calls Türk a "High Commissioner for Human Wrongs" and says he has "the blood of Jewish innocents on his hands." Critics, including Bayefsky, have slammed Türk for putting out a statement on Oct. 7, 2023, that appeared to equate Hamas' attacks with Israel's response. In the statement, Türk says he was "shocked and appalled" by the violent attacks before going on to condemn Israel. In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment on Bayefsky's video being cut off, Sim said that "the words of the President of the Human Rights Council speak for themselves." During the same hearing, Qatar was allowed to accuse Israel of being a "torturer," using "collective punishment," and attempting "to impose Judaism" in the West Bank and Gaza without any evidence or interruption. Multiple speakers were also allowed to accuse Israel of carrying out a genocide, also with no objection from Lauber. Additionally, Defense for Children International, which describes itself as a "local Palestinian child rights organization," claimed that "Israeli soldiers know that they can kill Palestinian children with impunity and not face any professional or legal consequences." No evidence was offered, and the council did not object to the accusations. "We know exactly why I was censored by knowing what the UN did not censor during this very same 'dialogue,'" Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. "There was no censorship, no cut microphones, no problem saying Israel was committing 'genocide against Palestinians'… The blood libels and incitement to hate and more violence was voluminous. And that was all just fine with the U.N." Bayefsky says it's time for the U.S. to cut off funding to the OHCHR. While President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order prohibiting the U.S. from participating in UNHRC, it did not address funding to OHCHR, Bayefsky explained. "The bulk of American funding for the U.N. in this context is for Türk and his kingdom at the 'U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights'… If ever Americans needed one more reason not to pay another cent for U.N.-driven lethal antisemitism, this is it."Original article source: American censored by UN Human Rights Council, accused of using 'disrespectful language'
Fox News
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
American censored by UN Human Rights Council, accused of using 'disrespectful language'
FIRST ON FOX — The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) abruptly cut off a video statement when the speaker mentioned the fate of Ariel and Kfir Bibas. The incident took place during an "Interactive Dialogue" regarding the UNHRC's consideration of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk's report on "the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice." During an "Interactive Dialogue" experts are allowed to speak to the council about human rights issues being discussed during the regular session. Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust Director Anne Bayefsky says she submitted a video statement to UNHRC, but was cut off after just a few seconds. President of the U.N. Human Rights Council Jürg Lauber stopped the video and declared that Bayefsky had used inappropriate language. Bayefsky begins by saying "The world now knows Palestinian savages murdered 9-month-old baby Kfir," and is almost immediately cut off by Lauber. "Sorry, I have to interrupt," Lauber abruptly said as the video of Bayefsky was paused. Lauber briefly objected to the "language" used in the video, but then allowed it to continue. After a few more seconds, the video was shut off entirely. Lauber reiterated that "the language that's used by the speaker cannot be tolerated," adding that it "exceeds clearly the limits of tolerance and respect." Bayefsky told Fox News Digital exclusively that U.N.-accredited NGOs are required to give transcripts and videos one day in advance of the "Interactive Dialogue." She believes the U.N. "stage managed" the incident, as the council had advanced access to her video and a transcript and knew what she would say. U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Spokesperson Pascal Sim did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on Bayefsky's allegations. "It's a total farce. There is no free speech at the U.N. for any NGO that calls out U.N. antisemitism. This is not harmless censorship. This is a war that the U.N. has declared against Jews, against Americans, and against free speech," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. Bayefsky explained to Fox News Digital that she started her video this way because she was allotted 1 minute and 30 seconds to address the council and wanted to "get right to the point." "The actual horrors of the extermination of the Bibas babies by Palestinians was off limits and pointing out the UN responsibility for their murder and torture was 'inappropriate,'" Bayefsky said. Bayefsky also contends that another part of her video may have been to blame for the censorship. "What U.N. officials knew, and the audience didn't, was that in my statement I demanded accountability for High Commissioner Türk himself - one of the world's primary drivers of Palestinian terrorism and antisemitism on a global scale," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. In a transcript of the blocked video shared with Fox News Digital, Bayefsky calls Türk a "High Commissioner for Human Wrongs" and says he has "the blood of Jewish innocents on his hands." Critics, including Bayefsky, have slammed Türk for putting out a statement on Oct. 7, 2023, that appeared to equate Hamas' attacks with Israel's response. In the statement, Türk says he was "shocked and appalled" by the violent attacks before going on to condemn Israel. In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment on Bayefsky's video being cut off, Sim said that "the words of the President of the Human Rights Council speak for themselves." During the same hearing, Qatar was allowed to accuse Israel of being a "torturer," using "collective punishment," and attempting "to impose Judaism" in the West Bank and Gaza without any evidence or interruption. Multiple speakers were also allowed to accuse Israel of carrying out a genocide, also with no objection from Lauber. Additionally, Defense for Children International, which describes itself as a "local Palestinian child rights organization," claimed that "Israeli soldiers know that they can kill Palestinian children with impunity and not face any professional or legal consequences." No evidence was offered, and the council did not object to the accusations. "We know exactly why I was censored by knowing what the UN did not censor during this very same 'dialogue,'" Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. "There was no censorship, no cut microphones, no problem saying Israel was committing 'genocide against Palestinians'… The blood libels and incitement to hate and more violence was voluminous. And that was all just fine with the U.N." Bayefsky says it's time for the U.S. to cut off funding to the OHCHR. While President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order prohibiting the U.S. from participating in UNHRC, it did not address funding to OHCHR, Bayefsky explained. "The bulk of American funding for the U.N. in this context is for Türk and his kingdom at the 'U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights'… If ever Americans needed one more reason not to pay another cent for U.N.-driven lethal antisemitism, this is it."
