Will Elise Stefanik succeed in erasing UN antisemitism?

If you don’t follow the minutiae of politics, you’ve probably never heard of U.S. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, until December, 2023, when she came into the public eye as she questioned three prominent university presidents over the growing problem of antisemitism which was rife in their respective universities. 

It was those congressional hearings where, in her capacity as House Republican Conference chair, that she was catapulted to fame after the clips went viral for weeks, eventually resulting in the resignation of University of Pennsylvania’s president Liz Magill.

Herself, an alumnus of Harvard University, the task of making inquiries into these three Ivy League institutions was, likely, more than just a routine part of her duties, because in the case of Stefanik, she is well-known for her unwavering support of Israel, especially in her belief that this there is a Biblical right to the land which was given to the Jewish people by God.  

Which is probably why Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen focused specifically on that point, when questioning the congresswoman, at the recent Senate Confirmation Hearings, over her positions as they relate to Israel. Trying to corner her, by fitting her into the same mold of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, it was, undoubtedly, Van Hollen’s intention to closely align her with two of the more religious extremists within the Netanyahu government coalition.  

By pairing them together, as those who believe that Judea and Samaria (known by our detractors as “the West Bank”) have always been part of what is referred to as the Greater Israel – meaning all the land given to us by God, Van Hollen sought to stigmatize Stefanik, while attempting to prove that she is no less radical than Smotrich and Ben Gvir. 

Van Hollen, also, by insinuation, brought to question the legitimacy of Israel’s right to exist. At least that is the contention of Gol Kalev, in his article entitled, “The assault on Judaism arrives in Congress.” By asking her outright, if “Israel has a right to the entire West Bank,” any answer other than yes, would have “shaken the very core foundation on which the State of Israel was established, because Israel was founded based on a biblical right which was incorporated into international law.” As Kalev stated, “Biblical stories didn’t take place in Tel Aviv or Herzliya (founded in 1909 and 1924 respectively), they took place in what has become internationally known as “the West Bank.”

In the hope of re-educating Stefanik, Van Hollen proceeded to lecture Stephanik on his understanding that the Biblical narrative was not accepted by Israel’s secular founding fathers. Of course, he was wrong, but this is just a taste of what the congresswoman will be up against if she succeeds in being confirmed to fulfill the role of U.S. Ambassador to the UN.

Stefanik, just as all those who came before her, will get an earful from those who call Zionism toxic and racist. She will find herself in a minority of voices that accuse Israel of everything from genocide to the systematic poisoning and starvation of her neighbors, defined as the poor victims of Israeli aggression.

To that end, Stefanik will have to stand as the firm voice of Israel’s defender, while the long list of resolutions against the Jewish state continue to roll in, dwarfing the human rights violations of every other member country whose established record of oppression will be ignored and have no spotlight cast on them.

By comparison, her congressional hearings, with the three university presidents, all of whom stoically responded with coached robotic answers, meant to infuriate even the most patient of people, might seem like child’s play. 

In her quest to get at the truth, Stefanik was, time and again, met with lies, insincerity, obfuscation, and out and out lack of accountability or willingness to cooperate – behavior which will, similarly be displayed in the UN.

Th8is is what awaits her in this den of iniquity, posing as an honest agency of morality and justice over the world’s nations. As a true believer and crusader of truth, however, it’s doubtful that Stefanik will let Guterrez and his minions get away with the deceit which they have managed to pull off, when it comes to the unjustified condemnation heaped upon Israel, as they’ve sought to punish and alienate her from all others.

Fortunately, Elise Stefanik seems more than adept at sniffing out the stench of antisemitism. Proud of how she unapologetically called out the blatant acts of Jew hatred and persecution, at universities, she knows that there was a large backing which supported her attempt to hold leaders accountable for their apathy and ineffectiveness to combat this kind of bigotry on their campuses. 

And this is why Stefanik sees this as her mission, aspiring to introduce an Abraham Accords caucus to the UN, something no one preceding her, in this role, has ever done.  It is because Stefanik has their number, especially when it comes to the National Security Council which has displayed some of the greatest antisemitic bias which has ever been recorded. 

Included in this was the refusal by the UN women’s group, Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, to acknowledge and condemn the massive accounts of rape, which occurred during the October 7th massacre, followed by the sexual abuse suffered by the hostages to the present day.  

As one of the congress members who voted against continuing to financially support UNRWA, she was not afraid of the repercussions which might result, knowing that she’d make powerful enemies of UN affiliates who had a vested interest in seeing its continued cooperation with avowed terrorists.

It’s no wonder that opposition voices, such as Sen. Chris Van Hollen sees Stefanik as an impediment to those with whom she would work in the UN. Because, from his point of view, anyone who would not support a two-state solution will be the barrier to a lasting peace, per his vision of what needs to occur in order to secure the coexistence that he apparently believes is still attainable, despite the ongoing hatred towards Israel.

Elise Stefanik will, indeed, need to gird up her loins for the fight of her life, but given what we’ve already seen and heard from her, my money is on the 40-year-old, feisty congresswoman whose spirit doesn’t seem to be dampened, even by the most dishonest actors who think she’s incapable of taking them down.