Biden’s UN envoy nominee: “BDS verges on anti-Semitic”

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. President Joe Biden’s nominee for UN envoy, has pledged to fight bias against ‘Israel’ at the international forum if confirmed.

“I look forward to standing with Israel, standing against the unfair targeting of Israel, the relentless resolutions proposed against Israel unfairly,” Thomas-Greenfield said at her Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

She also said she was planning to work with her Israeli counterparts to bolster Israel’s security and “to widen the circle of peace.”

Asking to comment on Israeli-Arab normalization deals, Thomas-Greenfield said, “I’m hopeful that those countries that have recognized Israel under the Abraham Accord will also see some opportunities to be more cooperative at the UN and more supportive of Israel’s presence there.”

“I look forward to working with Israel to develop a strategy… for engaging with countries that would appreciate having Israel’s expertise to support their development efforts,” she continued.

‘Israel’ normalized ties with the UAE last September, a move that was followed by Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Palestinians condemned the normalization agreements, saying they encouraged Israel’s denial of their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause.

Asking about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, Thomas-Greenfield said she finds the “actions and approach” taken by its supporters to be “unacceptable.”

“It verges on anti-Semitic, and it’s important that they not be allowed to have a voice at the UN, and I intend to work against that,” she said.

However, she noted that Biden “has indicated that we will run to rejoin the Human Rights Council,” which the Trump administration vacated over accusations of anti-Israel bias.

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.

Thomas-Greenfield alsp argued that when the US leaves such forums, it loses its ability to influence them, adding that that same philosophy is what motivates the Biden administration to rejoin United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and restore funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.