Far too often in the past 25 years, the United States has hesitated to stand firmly with Israel at the United Nations, allowing bias and double standards to harden into institutional routine. But that has changed. The Obama-Biden era at the world body is no more.
The recent actions of Ambassador Tammy Bruce stand out not only as straightforward but principled. Her remarks at her first U.N. Security Council meeting marked a rare moment of honesty in a forum that has a penchant for reflexively condemning democracies while excusing or ignoring the behavior of their adversaries.
Bruce spoke out against the “double standards” targeting Israel at the Dec. 29 meeting of the U.N. Security Council in a way that was necessary and honest.
The emergency meeting was held in response to Israel’s recognition of the Republic of Somaliland. This was the same day Bruce was sworn in as deputy representative of the United States of America to the United Nations.
Mike Waltz, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted that day: “A huge welcome to my friend and colleague, Ambassador Tammy Bruce, on her swearing-in as our new deputy representative! Tammy is a fierce advocate for American interests. I look forward to working side-by-side as we advance President Trump’s agenda and deliver results for the American people here at the U.N.”
That these comments were made on Bruce’s very first day in office is telling. It signaled not only the tone she intends to bring to the United Nations, but also a recommitment to defending both American interests and democratic allies without apology.
The issue at hand—Israel’s recognition of Somaliland—was itself revealing. Rather than treating Israel as a sovereign state exercising normal diplomatic judgment, the United Nations inexplicably escalated the matter into an emergency session, underscoring the very double standard Bruce later chose to address.
Perversely, the world body has long viewed Israel as wrong, no matter what it does. Bruce’s decision to call out the hypocrisy and outrageous focus on criticizing Israel year after year was a much-needed moment of honesty, one too rarely seen at the Security Council.
For decades, the State of Israel has been subjected to an unparalleled level of scrutiny. No other democracy is so consistently condemned, investigated and isolated by U.N. bodies, even as authoritarian regimes with appalling human-rights records evade accountability or are welcomed into positions of influence. This imbalance does not advance peace at all. Instead, it corrodes the credibility of the institution tasked with safeguarding it.
Among the comments made by Bruce were the following: “Israel has the same right to conduct diplomatic relations as any other sovereign state. Earlier this year, several countries, including members of this council, made the unilateral decision to recognize a nonexistent Palestinian state. And yet, no emergency meeting was called to express this council’s outrage. This council’s persistent double standards and misdirection of focus distract from its mission of maintaining international peace and security.”
These remarks were not incendiary; they were factual. Bruce highlighted an obvious contradiction that has long gone unchallenged in the Security Council chamber and in the entire entity. When political fashion determines indignation rather than principle, the United Nations ceases to function as an honest broker. With her determination to articulate this reality, Bruce’s comments were not only refreshing. They were long overdue.
Israel, a democracy, is regularly singled out for criticism by every U.N. body while its enemies are welcomed. Bruce cannot be thanked enough for speaking out on behalf of Israel. That the ambassador’s comments needed to be made in the first place shows just how far the global organization has strayed from its mandate and purpose.
Ultimately, this Somaliland duplicity is about more than Israel alone. It is about whether America will continue to defend democratic values consistently or allow international institutions to erode them through silence and accommodation. Bruce’s debut made clear that American representation at the United Nations can still be firm, principled and clear-eyed.
In calling out bias where it exists, she reaffirmed both America’s commitment to its allies and its insistence that international norms apply equally to all. That is not merely pro-Israel. It is pro-American—and essential to checking the unrestrained overreach that the United Nations, along with its respective branches and agencies, has engaged in for decades.
