Top 5 AJC Action Items at the United Nations General Assembly

World leaders will gather at the United Nations on September 24 to open the 79th session of the General Assembly. 

Every year, American Jewish Committee (AJC) experts from around the world lead the Jewish community’s diplomatic outreach at this major global gathering on issues ranging from confronting anti-Israel bias and antisemitism to uniting the world against the Iranian threat. For a refresher from last year, click here.  

This year’s meetings come amid the unprecedented backdrop of Israel’s seven-front defensive war against Iran and its terror proxies and the surge of antisemitism since Hamas’ October 7 massacre of over 1,200 people and kidnapping of more than 250 hostages, 101 of whom remain in captivity.  

Here are the top five action items that AJC, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, is advocating as the UN General Assembly kicks off.

1. Bring the hostages home

Background: On October 7, as part of its brutal attack on Israel, Hamas, and other terror groups cruelly abducted more than 250 people, 101 of whom are still held captive, citizens from 24 nations, including women, children, and individuals with urgent medical needs. As we approach the one-year anniversary of this horrific day, more must be done to get Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement that allows for hostages to be freed and humanitarian conditions in Gaza to improve. This is an urgent, global humanitarian crisis. All relevant countries must work with the United States to intensify pressure on Hamas to accept a hostage and ceasefire deal. 

State of play: In late August, the bodies of six hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 were found in a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah, shortly after they were murdered in cold blood by Hamas terrorists. The hostages — Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Almog Sarusi, 27 — included five young adults abducted from the Nova music festival and one taken from Kibbutz Be'eri. 

What AJC is doing: 

• AJC is advocating worldwide to bring the hostages home. We have helped over 50 hostage families, facilitating over 400 meetings and press events with lawmakers, government officials, the media, and other influentials. We will continue these efforts until every single hostage is home. Take action here.
• After Hamas brutally murdered six hostages, AJC CEO Ted Deutch issued a call to action to five groups—including the leadership of the United Nations. Ted urged the UN to condemn Hamas for these murders, condemn Hamas for the atrocities of October 7, condemn Hamas for continuing to hold 101 hostages, and call for their unconditional release. Only then will UN pleas for a deal be taken seriously. Read it here.

2. Countering campaigns against Israel’s legitimacy

Israel’s detractors have long attempted to weaponize international organizations and courts to attack Israel’s legitimacy, a tactic which has been even more common since October 7. 

Background: In June, a United Nations investigation accused Israel of committing crimes against humanity during the Gaza war, as outlined in a report to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council. The report also accused Palestinian terror groups of committing war crimes. Israel rejected the findings, claiming that its work was politically biased against the country. 

In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory ruling declaring Israel's activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal under international law. The court ruled that Israel must end its control and settlement activities, repeal discriminatory laws, and that other UN member states should not recognize any territorial changes resulting from Israel's occupation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders rejected the ruling, calling it false and distorted, and reaffirmed Israel's claim to the disputed territories.

State of play:  The U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution on September 18 demanding that Israel withdraw from the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, and Gaza within a year, reflecting the International Court of Justice’s stance on the illegality of Israeli presence beyond the 1949 armistice line. The resolution, passed with a 124-14 vote and 43 abstentions, calls for an arms embargo and a boycott of products from these areas, but does not address Israeli security concerns or Hamas's attacks. While the resolution has no binding legal force, it may influence international actions against Israel and lead to further U.N. Security Council discussions.

What AJC is doing:

• AJC is strongly advocating for countries to push back against the assault on Israel’s legitimacy. AJC strongly opposes the open-ended and one-sided UN’s Commission of Inquiry (COI) against Israel. Established in 2021, the COI’s June 2024 report baselessly asserted that Israel’s defensive military campaign against the perpetrators of the October 7 terror attacks violates international law. 
• AJC is also urging nations to oppose the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) July 2024 advisory opinion, which falsely concluded that Israel’s presence in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip is “unlawful” despite the fact that Israel captured these areas in 1967 in a clear-cut case of self-defense. Ultimately, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be resolved around the negotiating table, not in the courtroom.

3. Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities and Terror Proxies

With its nuclear ambitions, advanced missile program, proxy armies, and support for terror, the Iranian regime poses a profound danger to Israel, and broader global peace and security.

Spreading terror throughout the Middle East: Among Iran’s most effective tools for destabilization and destruction in the Middle East is its support of terrorist proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthis, and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). Iran’s regime and proxies pose a threat to not just the Middle East, but also Europe and the U.S. 

Background: The brutal surprise attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, along with the unprecedented and massive missile and drone attack launched by Iran against Israel on April 13, demonstrate the Iranian regime’s threatening, destabilizing efforts in the region. Since the outbreak of war in Gaza, other Iran-backed groups throughout the Middle East have carried out attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria and international shipping in the Red Sea, drawing retaliatory military action. 

State of play: In late July, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran after attending the inauguration of the country’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Shortly after, Iran vowed “severe punishment” for the assassination, but there remains uncertainty about when and how it could act. Meanwhile, Iran has continued to make progress on its nuclear and long-range ballistic missile program. A recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, revealed that Iran has significantly increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, close to weapons-grade levels, prompting concerns over its potential to produce several nuclear bombs.

What AJC is doing: 

• AJC is urging International coalition partners to intensify their retaliatory actions against Iran and its proxies, including the Houthis and related militias, for hostile acts that have risked widening the current conflict. 
• AJC is urging the universal designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity.
• AJC is calling for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to, and continuous monitoring of, declared and suspected nuclear sites.
• AJC is urging the full enforcement of oil, missile, and arms transfer sanctions.

Standing against Hamas terror: On October 7 and for more than 11 months, the world has witnessed the depravity and barbarity of Hamas, an Iranian-backed terror group that massacred 1,200 children, women, and men in southern Israel, committed horrific acts of sexual violence, and kidnapped more than 250 citizens of 24 countries, many of whom died – or were executed – in captivity.  

State of play: Prior to and since October 7, Hamas has repeatedly shown it has no actual interest in governing Gaza or in ensuring the wellbeing of the Palestinian people, whom it employs as human shields while it continues to launch rockets and missiles into Israel. Its sole goal is the elimination of Israel and the Jewish people. Hamas must not be allowed to govern in Gaza.

What AJC is doing: 

• AJC is urging all nations to recognize unequivocally Israel’s right to defend itself. Hamas must be universally designated as a terrorist organization, sanctioned, dismantled, and removed from power in Gaza.
• Pressing all nations to demand the safe and speedy release of all the hostages held in Gaza by Hamas.

Addressing Hezbollah threats: The Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror army in Lebanon has amassed an arsenal of rockets, missiles, and mortars with more firepower than the armies of many NATO members. Since October 8, Hezbollah has fired over 7,500 rockets and launched over 1,000 drones at Israeli civilians and military targets critical to the defense of the Jewish state. Over 60,000 Israeli civilians have been displaced from their homes as a result of the attacks. 

State of play: Tensions with Hezbollah continue to heat up. On September 17 and 18, the terror group’s pagers and other electronic devices exploded, killing at least 37 and injuring nearly 3,000 mainly Hezbollah terror operatives. As tensions rise, Israel's Security Cabinet updated its war objectives to prioritize the safe return of displaced northern residents, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasizing that this cannot happen without military or diplomatic action against Hezbollah.  In late August, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). However, UNIFIL cannot carry out its peacekeeping responsibilities when Hezbollah ignores UN resolutions, strengthens its military presence in southern Lebanon, prevents the Lebanese government from extending its authority over its entire territory, and receives illegal arms from Iran. 

What AJC is doing: 

• AJC urges stronger action, including sanctions on Hezbollah and Iran, as Hezbollah's military presence in southern Lebanon and provocations along the Israeli-Lebanese border continue to threaten regional stability and violate UN resolutions.
• AJC is urging the European Union to blacklist the entirety of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

4. Addressing the surge of Antisemitism

Background: Since October 7, antisemitic harassment, intimidation, and violence around the world have spiked to terrifying levels. AJC works with governments, civil society leaders, universities, and corporations to enhance understanding of antisemitism, urge appropriate condemnation, promote prevention, and increase the protection of Jewish communities. When societies cannot protect their Jewish population – when they ignore, minimize, contextualize, normalize, and redefine antisemitism – they often fail to protect other citizens as well, and compromise their values in the process. 

State of play: Recognizing that this moment requires an international, whole-of-society approach, AJC convened a coalition of global Jewish leaders and partners to mobilize their governments and communities to act against antisemitism. AJC’s Global Call to Action is signed by 47 organizations representing 35 countries and three multi-country umbrella organizations. 

What AJC is doing:

• AJC is calling upon nations to adopt the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism, endorsed in July 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The legally non-binding guidelines include policies to monitor and combat antisemitism that can be implemented and adapted to a wide variety of national, regional, and cultural contexts.

Embracing tools to understand antisemitism: To counter antisemitism, a crucial first step is to define it. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism – a clear and concise description of antisemitism in its various forms, including discrimination, hatred, conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial, and the denial of Israel’s right to exist.

State of play: Embraced by more than 800 bodies, including more than 40 countries, this flexible, proven tool gives federal and local governments, law enforcement agencies, and civil society organizations increased capacity to identify, prosecute, and deter antisemitic incidents. 

What AJC is doing:

• Governments should endorse and utilize, as a non-binding resource, the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.

5. Supporting Ukraine

Background: More than two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, AJC continues to advocate a firm, sustained, and unified response to Moscow’s aggression against a neighboring democracy. 

State of play: The situation continues to have far-reaching implications: other bad actors, from Pyongyang to Tehran, are closely following developments and even aiding Russia in its murderous campaign; Iran’s supply of suicide drones and ballistic missiles to Russia are a reminder – as if further evidence were needed – of both Iran’s destabilizing activity and Vladimir Putin’s capacity for destruction. Disunity or waning resolve among Western nations would escalate the rising threats to regional and global security.

What AJC is doing: 

• AJC has called on Congress to implement critical measures to support Ukraine – including the vital National Security Supplemental in April – and urged the international community to provide military, economic, and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, and support for Ukrainians fleeing violence. 
• AJC unequivocally backs Ukraine’s accession to NATO. We applauded the Alliance’s creation of a path to membership for Ukraine at this year's Summit in Washington, D.C.