The death toll in Israel passed 1,000 casualties on Tuesday and is expected to continue to rise in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on Saturday. On Monday, the United Nations Human Rights Council held a moment of silence in memory of the “innocent lives” lost in the “occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere” that made no mention of the Israelis killed.
On Tuesday’s show, Megyn was joined by Ben Shapiro, host of The Ben Shapiro Show, to discuss the troubling response from the U.N. and other international governments and organizations in the wake of the terrorism.
Ignoring Israel
On Monday, the U.N. Human Rights Council shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the group “observed a moment of silence for the loss of innocent lives in the occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere.”
In the video, Ambassador Zaman Mehdi, the deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the U.N. in Geneva, decried the “more than seven decades of illegal foreign occupation, aggression, and disrespect for the international law… and efforts to normalize and perpetuate illegal foreign occupation” that “is breeding violence” in the region. “In this context, the so-called declaration of war and attacks on civilian population and their properties is deeply distressing,” he said. “We remain concerned about the human cost of the escalating situation.”
Megyn called the response “disgusting” and a new low. “There’s been a lot of bad responses, but that one may take the cake,” she said. All those in attendance could be seen standing in the clip despite the omission of the innocent lives lost in Israel.
When you consider that countries that are known to have poor human rights records sit on the council, Shapiro said the reaction “makes perfect sense.” “We are talking about some of the worst countries on earth,” he explained. “So, when they proclaim that they are very upset about the situation in the Palestinian areas without actively pointing out that it’s Hamas that is literally violating the laws of war by hiding behind civilians and then ignore the issue of the day – which is the murder of 1,000 Israeli civilians for just vicious, antisemitic reasons – they are what they are.”
Separately, U.S. Permanent Representative to the Human Rights Council, Michèle Taylor, requested a moment of silence on Monday to commemorate the lives of people killed in Israel.
Anti-Israel Responses
On Monday, Megyn covered the pro-Hamas protests in the United States, Australia, Canada, and more, in addition to the anti-Israel rhetoric from members of ‘The Squad’ in the House of Representatives. And there have been more reactions along those lines.
In the European Union, Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi declared the European Commission was putting funding for the Palestinian Authority on hold in the wake of the terror attack by Hamas in Israel. By late Monday, EU foreign ministers announced they had reversed the decision. “Obviously it [initially] was the correct move, but it was immediately shut down by multiple countries in the European Union,” Shapiro said. “And so money will continue to flow to many of the same people who conducted these sorts of attacks.”
That came on the heels of the U.S. State Department having to delete a tweet about supporting a cease-fire. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that he spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and encouraged Turkey’s “advocacy for a cease-fire and the release of all hostages held by Hamas immediately.” After swift backlash, he deleted the tweet.
Ultimately, Shapiro said there is little expectation for leadership from these groups and individuals in situations like this, but it doesn’t make the response any less telling. “All the masks are off,” he concluded. “If somehow you can’t find moral clarity in this moment, then I don’t know what to tell you. You are either a fool or something significantly worse.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Shapiro by tuning in to episode 644 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.