As High Holidays approach, Israeli envoy to United Nations in New York City optimistic in dark times

Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, is no stranger to the hostility that permeates the halls of the global body. But as he serves his second tenure, he remains firm in his belief that the organization is still worth fighting for.

“If you are not here, you allow the enemies to take over,” Danon told JNS in a wide ranging interview in Turtle Bay on Wednesday. “That’s very important. I see it myself. If I do not come to the room, they will continue to promote hate.”

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The Israeli envoy spoke to JNS in the East Lounge, also known as the “Qatari Lounge,” less than an hour before he addressed the U.N. Security Council, where he pressed for changes to the process for convening “emergency” meetings.

He told JNS that such meetings have become a political tool that are used disproportionately against the Jewish state.

Despite his criticism of the organization, Danon told JNS that Israel has allies in Turtle Bay and that the Jewish state has to show up if it expects supporters to do the same.

“Our allies—and we have allies—they will not fight for us if we are not fighting for ourselves,” he said. “If they will see that I’m not there and I’m not fighting, they will not do it for us.”

Behind the scenes, the United Nations is different from what many would expect, Danon said.

“People know it’s a hostile place,” he said. “And it is. But it’s important to say that you have a quiet aspect of the U.N., and behind the scenes, despite the hundreds of debates and resolutions against us, I have seen in the last two years a lot of appreciation for what we are doing.”

Danon has heard other diplomats express appreciation for Israel’s “boldness to stand up,” in particular after the September 2024 pager attack targeting Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon.

“They will not be with us publicly,” Danon told JNS. “Usually when they will speak, they will focus on criticizing us on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and call for a ceasefire.”

“But when I have private conversations, like we have here and in the lounge, they appreciate the strength of Israel, appreciate the position we take,” he said. “For me, it’s a good sign.”

As the High Holidays approach, Danon told JNS that the coming weeks should not be defined only by fear and anxiety but also by what Israel has survived and accomplished over the past year.

“We always speak about the problems and the threats,” he said. “But if we see what we achieved, I think we should be very proud of what we achieved in the last year.”

Though the wars in Gaza and Lebanon are “not over,” Danon said that he is confident that Hamas will one day be disarmed, despite widespread skepticism.

“It will happen,” he said. “We will not finish. We will not allow anything to happen in Gaza before the disarmament of Hamas.”

“It’s not easy, because people want to move on,” he said. “But we cannot move on, because we understand if we allow Hamas to stay, what happened on Oct. 7 will happen again. The question is only when, not if.”

He also urged Jews to remember that Israel is not as isolated as it can sometimes appear.

“Understand we are not alone,” Danon said. “We do have friends. Colombia was very hostile to us. Chile, Bolivia—they’re becoming very friendly with us.”

“This is a place for optimism also at the beginning of this new year,” he said.

Danon’s second tenure at the United Nations has been markedly different from his first, he told JNS. He returned to the post after Oct. 7 at the request of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Since then, we are at war,” he said.

The stakes are higher this time around. “Usually in diplomacy, you also deal a lot with soft diplomacy,” Danon told JNS. “You do culture, events, building bridges. But when I came back now, it was like, we had to push back against antisemitism, against the hate.”

The job can be frustrating. “You come for a debate and you sit for four hours and almost everyone will speak against you,” he said. “It’s not easy.”

That antagonism comes from both member states and the United Nations itself, according to Danon. He acknowledged that the motivations behind accusations against Israel can vary and accused António Guterres, U.N. secretary-general, of being driven by an “agenda.”

“He never visited Israel since Oct. 7,” Danon said. “He came before, but not after, and he tried always to equate Israel with Hamas.”

“I think with him, it’s an agenda,” the Israeli envoy said of the U.N. secretary-general. “I exposed it, and I fight back against it.”

As discussions over the selection of the next secretary-general took place a few rooms away, Danon told JNS that he has “high expectations” for whoever takes over.

“We are not against the U.N.,” he said. “I believe we have to build the U.N. I don’t think we should leave the U.N. with the U.S. On the contrary, I think we have to be more involved. We have to reform the U.N.”

“That’s why we expect a secretary-general who will have the leadership skills to take this organization to the right place, to clean up a lot of officials who should go home, and bring professionals who are not biased,” he said.

The fight against Jew-hatred and the demonization of the Jewish state is not confined to U.N. headquarters, Danon told JNS.

Danon is increasingly concerned about the rhetoric of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has called for Netanyahu’s arrest if he comes to New York City for the U.N. General Assembly in September.

He also worries about the growing prominence of “radical” candidates, who “use Israel as a platform.”

Candidates once debated issues such as gun control, abortion and immigration, according to Danon. “Now they pick on Israel, which for us, it’s a bad sign,” he said. “I think both parties should make sure that those voices are not becoming stronger and that the mainstream is leading the parties and not the extremes.”

Mamdani is “not yelling. He’s not threatening. He’s smiling,” Danon told JNS. “But at the same time, he’s promoting hate against Jews, against Israelis, and we have seen the outcome.”

The mayor “has lawyers” and knew better than to publicly suggest that he could arrest Netanyahu, Danon told JNS.

“Still, he put it out there, and we saw what happened,” he said. “Jews were attacked hours after.”

When Netanyahu arrives in New York City on Sept. 24, Jewish New Yorkers concerned about possible protests should “stand tall,” according to Danon.

Since Oct. 7, “the genie is out of the box. It’s not coming back,” he told JNS. “But I tell my friends and colleagues to be strong, to stand up against antisemitism, and I’m sure we will overcome it.”

“But you will not do it by running away from it,” he said. “It’s by confronting and fighting back.”

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