Snub to Israel apologists at the UN

On June 3, 2026, two events shocked the diplomatic community. Germany, Europe's economic engine, got its biggest political shock in recent decades: it received only 104 votes in the UN General Assembly, short of the two-thirds majority needed, losing out to Austria (131 votes) and Portugal (134 votes) in the election to the Western European seats in the UN Security Council.

The other event also played out at the Security Council. To the shock of many, the tiny central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan roundly defeated the Philippines – a Washington ally – for the sole Asia-Pacific seat at the Security Council. Kyrgyzstan won with a thumping majority of 142 to the 49 for the Philippines. The Central Asian nation now becomes a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2027-2028 term. Most people in the West, presumably, have never heard of the country, but the US was, from the outset, concerned about the vote, because Kyrgyzstani people have friendly, peaceful relations with their Chinese and Russian neighbours, while the US spends billions of dollars a year to demonise both countries.

This is a clear snub to a US president who has "normalised" the might-is-right dictum. This normalisation also extends to Israel.

Embarrassing as this first loss was for Germany, the mightiest European power, it amounted to bad news indeed for the US-Israel bloc, too. Germany's failure to win a non-permanent seat on the Security Council was the clearest sign ever of: a) the anger that Israel-US have caused among smaller nations across the globe for their illegal actions against Iran and Venezuela; and b) a marked drift away from the traditional, unquestioned support for the USA's high-handed, self-serving geopolitics.

A new global trend is shaping up. It is an overwhelming rejection of the high-handed Israeli and American policies on Palestine, Iran and Venezuela. The pendulum is clearly shifting away from Washington to the East, with most countries rallying around Beijing in favour of a just multipolar world with emphasis on respect for the sovereignty all nations.

This shift has been on the cards. Israel's continued aggression against Palestinians since October 2023, its illegal military offensives on the Lebanese people and territory, and the sinister plans against Iran led to this unsurprising outcome. It is also essentially a denunciation of the unhinged support by the US, the UK and Germany for Netanyahu's push for "Greater Israel" under the Abraham Accords.

Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (belonging to Christian Democratic Union) offered his own explanation for the historic defeat. "There's our rock-solid support for Ukraine. It is no secret that Russia does not want such a voice at the table – and campaigned against us." He added: "It also may have cost us votes that Germany must always assume a special responsibility for Israel with regard to the Middle East conflict. We will continue to live up to our historical responsibility – even as we criticize specific policies of the current government."

What! Historical responsibility and commitment to Israel when it continues to slaughter Palestinians and Lebanese and is fueling hostility vis a vis Iran? Isn't it highly hypocritical and inhuman: why should "special responsibility and historical commitment to Israel" matter when Israel is killing thousands and occupying Palestinian and Lebanese lands? Does this mean Israel remains the darling even if it is killing tens of thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians?

Quite mind-boggling! A country that itself suffered destruction in the World War II and championed human rights and the rule of law all these decades lending its political and economic shoulders to another country for genocide of an oppressed community?

In reality Germany's own conduct – escalatory rather than diplomatic policy in the Ukraine war; indirect support for the genocide in Gaza; and the inability to clearly condemn the war of aggression against Iran or the willful abduction of the Venezuelan president in January – landed it in trouble.

Quite an irony that it was none other than former foreign minister Annalena Baerbock – whose foreign policy is co-responsible for the result – who announced the results of the vote. An icing on the cake?

The victory for Austria, Portugal and Kyrgyzstan delighted all those at the United Nations who had dared Israel, condemned its hostilities against the Palestinians and questioned the brazen US posturing vis a vis other nations, including China and India.

The Iranians, sitting in one row ahead during the Security Council voting, were equally jubilant – and understandably so.

Two aggressions against their country within nine months (June 2025, February 2026) by the US and Israel and continued solidarity of some major European powers for Israel has not only caused unusual consternation and anger across the world. It also has finally blown away the façade that the US-led West bore for decades in the name of human rights and democracy. As evident today, these values "mattered" only when it came to China, Russia and all those countries which were politically at odds with Washington. Most NATO countries blindly played the second fiddle. Not anymore. Spain, Portugal, Italy and Canada have finally dented that architecture thanks to a wobbly oscillating Donald Trump.