As the UN General Assembly meets this week, they’ll have a vocal new critic: Linda Frum

The United Nations General Assembly gets to work this week, beginning its 80th anniversary session on Sept. 9. And as the ambassadors gather in New York, there will be a new pair of Canadian eyes keeping tabs on how the world’s parliament lives up to its mandate of equitably improving human rights, especially on the Israel-Palestine file. Former senator Linda Frum has been appointed the new chair of UN Watch, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization that has, for decades, exposed an alleged anti-Israel bias on the global stage. In the last few years, UN Watch has directed its lens in particular toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, which employed at least nine staffers who were possibly involved with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel—and who were subsequently fired in the summer of 2024. Frum steps onto the stage at what could be a pivotal moment in Middle Eastern history. The UN will bring world leaders together in a few weeks for a summit wherein many countries, including Canada, have signalled they will formally recognize Palestinian statehood. It’s a move Frum feels is “very dangerous” for the Jewish community here, as it will raise temperatures at home and put “a target on the back of every Jewish Canadian citizen.” On today’s episode of The CJN’s North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner is joined by both Linda Frum and UN Watch’s executive director, Hillel Neuer, a Canadian lawyer, to take a look ahead at the UN’s fall agenda and what’s at stake.

Related links

• Read the United Nations Watch announcement of former Canadian Senator Linda Frum as the new chair of its board.
• Follow UN Watch’s latest research on keeping the UN accountable.
• Hear two views of Canada’s plan to recognize Palestine as a state, on The CJN’s North Star podcast.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Bret Higgins

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