Waltz vows to tackle antisemitism at United Nations as U.S. ambassador
New U.S. envoy Michael Waltz pledges a hard line against antisemitism at the UN while pursuing broader reforms, as domestic hate-crime cases and Gaza policy debates unfold worldwide.
Newly confirmed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz plans to press a tougher line against antisemitism at the U.N. while pursuing broader reforms, according to people familiar with his priorities.
Waltz is a retired Army National Guard colonel and former Green Beret who previously represented Florida in the U.S. House. He was tapped to serve on the Trump administration’s national security team and is now expected to take a more aggressive stance at the United Nations on security, telecommunications, aviation and space, sources said.
In domestic developments, authorities charged Blake Richard Hoover, 31, of Charlotte County, with arson and criminal mischief for a blaze at the Chabad of Charlotte County in Punta Gorda, an incident prosecutors have described as a hate crime.
In a new book, former Vice President Kamala Harris writes that President Joe Biden’s perceived blank check to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza hampered her 2024 presidential bid.
At a New Hampshire wedding reception, a shooter killed 59-year-old Steven DeCesare and wounded two others; 23-year-old Hunter Nadeau is charged, and witnesses say the gunman yelled Free Palestine during the attack. Authorities said there is no known connection between the victims and the suspect.
UN Watch released a 220-page report claiming Hamas and its allies gained influence over Gaza and Lebanon’s education system with support from UNRWA.
A Combat Antisemitism Movement study found a spike in antisemitic incidents in August, with 694 incidents worldwide and the United States accounting for 162 of them, up roughly 13 percent from July.
Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defense minister, wrote a guest editorial arguing that Israel’s long effort to engage the United Nations has been futile, citing a report that condemns Israel while omitting Hamas’ tunnels and hostage crisis.
Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, criticized UNRWA for directing resources to classrooms that he says have become incubators of hate.
The collection of stories underscores ongoing concerns about antisemitism worldwide and how it intersects with policy debates at the United Nations and in U.S. politics as the Gaza conflict continues.