Columnist proposes replacing the UN with coalitions of states — Jerusalem Post

In New York, United States, the UN General Assembly plans to hold an event marking the 25th anniversary of the 2001 World Conference against Racism in Durban. In a column for the Jerusalem Post, David M. Weinberg, a senior fellow at Israel’s Misgav Institute, said that, in his view, the United Nations cannot be reformed. He proposed creating new international coalitions to carry out specific tasks.

Criticism of UN structures

Weinberg referred to the Misgav Institute report, “The UN’s Anti-Israel Ecosystem: Mapping the Institutions, Mechanisms, and Resources Behind the Campaign Against Israel,” prepared by Adi Schwartz, Asher Fredman, and Noam Jacobi. According to the study’s authors, the UN system includes more than 30 bodies, investigative mechanisms, offices, commissions, committees, special procedures, and rapporteurs which, in their view, contribute to political, economic, and legal pressure on Israel.

The columnist conveyed the researchers’ conclusion that decisions and findings by various UN structures can mutually reinforce one another and are subsequently used by governments, media outlets, non-governmental organizations, courts, and other UN bodies. The report’s authors also believe that such mechanisms can create precedents for use against other democratic states during counterterrorism operations.

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Funding and new coalitions

Weinberg noted that the report’s authors proposed eight steps, most of which concern reducing funding for structures that, in their assessment, discriminate against Israel, the United States, and other Western countries. According to figures cited in the column, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and France provided 60% of all direct government contributions to the UN system in 2024.

The columnist expressed the opinion that a temporary suspension of UN funding should be considered. As an alternative, he cited Claudia Rosett’s approach: creating professional associations of states focused on specific tasks and shared interests. Weinberg compared this principle to coalitions such as NATO during the Cold War.