Opinion pieces argue the UN and Western leaders apply a double standard to Israel
Two Israel-based opinion pieces, in The Jerusalem Post and The Media Line, argue that the UN and some Western governments judge Israel by standards they do not apply to others. The Post's is a forceful denunciation; The Media Line's is a more measured summary of another writer's arguments.
1 / 2
The story, neutrally told
Right · 1In an opinion piece for The Jerusalem Post, David Ben-Basat argues that the United Nations applies different moral standards to Israel than to other states, and that this reveals the organisation's "moral bankruptcy". The Jerusalem PostRC “An organization that claims to speak for universal morality does not apply the same moral standards to everyone.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1He points to the UN's expanded database of companies linked to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which he says, citing published reports, now lists 214 companies; he acknowledges it is not a criminal judgment but says it provides ammunition for boycott campaigns. The Jerusalem PostRC “according to published reports, the updated list includes 214 companies.”“The database is not a criminal judgment” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1He also cites Item 7 on the UN Human Rights Council agenda, which reserves a permanent discussion for Israel and the Palestinian territories, and a September 2024 General Assembly resolution, adopted 124 to 14, demanding that Israel end its presence in the territories within one year. The Jerusalem PostRC “Item 7 on the agenda of the UN Human Rights Council reserves a permanent discussion exclusively for Israel and the Palestinian territories.”“adopted a resolution by a vote of 124 to 14 demanding that Israel end its presence in the territories within one year” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Right · 1Ben-Basat contrasts this with what he calls the UN's helplessness towards dictatorships, noting that Russia and China hold permanent Security Council seats, and cites the 1975 resolution equating Zionism with racism (revoked in 1991), the failure to prevent genocide in Rwanda, and Darfur. The Jerusalem PostRC “Russia, which invaded Ukraine, and China, which represses the Uyghurs, hold permanent seats and veto power on the UN Security Council.”“The resolution was revoked in 1991” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1The piece also criticises individual leaders: it says Emmanuel Macron's recognition of a Palestinian state is hollow without a security solution, rebukes Pedro Sánchez for calling the war in Gaza "genocide", and says Keir Starmer should recall Britain's 1939 White Paper and its detention of Jewish immigrants in Cyprus. The Jerusalem PostRC “That is precisely why Macron's declarations are hollow and fail the reality test on the ground.”“The 1939 White Paper severely restricted Jewish immigration” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1It further cites the boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest by public broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, Dutch restrictions on goods from settlements, and Qatar, Iran and Saudi Arabia's positions, and says delegates from countries accused of war crimes walked out during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's UN address. The Jerusalem PostRC “Public broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland boycotted the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest because of Israel's participation.”“representatives of countries that have themselves faced accusations of war crimes and genocide ostentatiously walked out of the hall” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Right · 1Ben-Basat concludes that Israel has a duty to expose the double standard. The author is described as CEO of Radios 100fm and an honorary consul. The Jerusalem PostRC “Israel has a duty to expose the double standard practiced by the leaders of UN member states”“The writer is the CEO of Radios 100fm, an honorary consul and vice dean of the Consular Diplomatic Corps” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Centre · 1The Media Line, a centre-rated outlet, ran a short editor's piece by Steven Ganot summarising two opinion articles by Albert Veksler on a related question: whether the West applies its own history and moral standards consistently. The Media LineN “Has the West lost the confidence to apply its own history and moral standards consistently?” Read at The Media Line ↗ Centre · 1In one, Veksler looks at Britain's changing relationship with Israel, citing Lord Shaftesbury and Arthur Balfour and contrasting that tradition with today's British leaders who criticise Israel; in the other he questions whether Israel is judged by a different standard at this year's UN General Assembly, challenging Secretary-General António Guterres's comparison of Gaza's destruction with other wars and citing statements by Macron, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The Media LineN “Veksler reaches back to figures such as Lord Shaftesbury and Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour”“Veksler challenges Secretary-General António Guterres’s description of Gaza’s destruction in comparison with other wars” Read at The Media Line ↗
Centre · 1The Media Line says Veksler's complaint is not that Israel should escape criticism but that criticism should rest on consistent standards, and that he acknowledges criticism of international institutions by Javier Milei and Donald Trump does not by itself prove anti-Israel bias. The Media LineN “His central complaint is not that Israel should escape criticism, but that criticism should rest on standards applied consistently.”“while acknowledging that such criticism does not by itself prove anti-Israel bias” Read at The Media Line ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- A summary introducing two opinion pieces by Albert Veksler, framed as questions about selective memory and consistent standards.
- Emphasis
- Veksler's historical references to Britain and his challenge to Guterres and world leaders at the UN General Assembly, with his own caveats.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives few specifics on the UN measures or leaders' statements; the arguments themselves sit in linked articles.
- Charged language
- “selective memory”“provocative comparisons”
- For example
-
“The common thread is Veksler’s concern with selective memory and selective judgment” — The Media Line
“Read both of Albert Veksler’s pieces for the historical references, political arguments, and provocative comparisons” — The Media Line
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- A polemical column arguing the UN and leaders such as Macron, Sánchez and Starmer are hypocritical towards Israel, ending in a charge of moral bankruptcy.
- Emphasis
- UN settlement-company database, Item 7, General Assembly votes, Eurovision boycott, and historical counter-accusations against Britain and Spain.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Offers no UN or critics' response; does not explain the reasoning behind the measures it criticises.
- Charged language
- “moral bankruptcy”“two-faced nature”“hollow”“hypocrisy”
- For example
-
“As long as it remains easier to place an Israeli company on a blacklist than to stop murderers” — The Jerusalem Post
“It demonstrated the two-faced nature of this organization.” — The Jerusalem Post
What every side reports
- Both pieces are opinion writing from Israel-based outlets.
- Both argue that Israel is judged by standards applied less consistently to others.
- Both single out Macron's statements on Israel and criticism from Western leaders.
Where accounts differ
-
How strongly the double-standard case is put
- Centre
- The Media Line presents the argument as a question about consistency, and notes that Israel need not escape criticism and that attacks on institutions don't by themselves prove bias.
- Right
- The Jerusalem Post column calls the UN morally bankrupt and accuses leaders of hypocrisy.
United Nations organisation
Portrayed by Ben-Basat as selectively harsh on Israel and weak on dictatorships; The Media Line relays Veksler's questioning of Secretary-General Guterres's comparison of Gaza with other wars. No UN response is given.
“Yet when it comes to Israel, its institutions behave as though they must save the world from the Jewish state.” — The Jerusalem Post
“Veksler challenges Secretary-General António Guterres’s description of Gaza’s destruction in comparison with other wars” — The Media Line
Israel place
In the Post column, Israel has a duty to expose and denounce the double standard; The Media Line says Veksler does not claim Israel should escape criticism.
“Israel has a duty to expose the double standard practiced by the leaders of UN member states” — The Jerusalem Post
“His central complaint is not that Israel should escape criticism” — The Media Line
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre2 articles
-
The Media LineN · · Opinion
From Balfour to the UN: 2 Arguments About Memory, Israel and Double Standards
Neutral Editor's overview of two Veksler opinion pieces on consistency of standards, noting the author's caveats.
-
The Media LineN · · Opinion
From Shaftesbury to the UN: 2 Arguments About Memory, Israel and Double Standards
Right1 article
-
The Jerusalem PostRC · · Opinion
The UN’s double standard toward Israel exposes its moral bankruptcy - opinion
Critical Opinion column denouncing the UN and several European and Gulf governments as hypocritical towards Israel.
- 3 Oct 12:12 First The Jerusalem PostRC The UN’s double standard toward Israel exposes its moral bankruptcy - opinion Opinion
- 4 Oct 08:00 +19h 49m The Media LineN From Balfour to the UN: 2 Arguments About Memory, Israel and Double Standards Opinion
- 4 Oct 08:00 +19h 49m The Media LineN From Shaftesbury to the UN: 2 Arguments About Memory, Israel and Double Standards Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.