Written by a member of the YUPAC Board

Amb. Danny Danon

On Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, the J. Dunner Political Science Society and the Yeshiva University Political Action Club co-hosted a Zoom event featuring Danny Danon, Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations. In a conversation with students, Ambassador Danon, a visiting professor this semester in the University’s Department of Political Science, shared his insights on defending Israel and the relationships it has fostered with its Arab neighbors. When he began his term as the 17th Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations in 2015, Ambassador Danon intended to challenge and change the international perspective of Israel at the U.N. through such actions as introducing kosher food to the U.N. cafeteria, establishing Yom Kippur as a recognized holiday in the General Assembly and becoming the first Israeli to chair a committee. The Ambassador attributes the success of these changes to the relationships he developed with fellow ambassadors and his steadfast Jewish pride. Since 2015, Ambassador Danon has taken on the task of welcoming over 100 foreign ambassadors to Israel. During his five-year tenure at the U.N., Ambassador Danon defended Israel against anti-Israel resolutions, including Resolution 2334, which was adopted on December 23, 2016, and concerned Israeli settlements in what the resolution called “Palestinian territories.” Ambassador Danon believes that the signing of the Abraham Accords on August 13, 2020, among Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States proved that Arab neighbors who previously would vote against Israel are now looking to develop genuine and beneficial relationships. He also expected that actions like this will change animosity against Israel at the U.N. As the current chairman of World Likud, described as the Likud Party’s wing for global communication and networking, Ambassador Danon will continue his advocacy for Jews to emigrate to Israel and for taking measures to counter anti-Semitism. After the event, Josh Weinstein ’22YC said, “It was such a great opportunity to listen and learn from Ambassador Danon, the best in the field. He showed us the importance of standing up for Israel at all costs and shed light into the inner workings of diplomacy for all of us to gain from.”