Title: "For Your Eyes Only": Israel’s Mole Inside the United NationsAuthor: Murtaza Hussain
Publication: Drop Site News
Date: August 4, 2026
Click here for the article
Summary:
The article reports that hacked emails show Yahav Lichner, then a UNFPA official and former Israeli mission staffer, repeatedly leaked confidential UN documents, internal reports, and political intelligence to Israeli diplomats between 2014 and 2015, in apparent violation of UN rules. It details how this information was used by Israeli officials to shape lobbying efforts in Washington and to undercut UN initiatives critical of Israel, including inquiries into the 2014 Gaza war and human rights violations. The article further traces Lichner’s subsequent rise within the UN system to his current role as director of UNICEF’s Washington, D.C., office, noting there is no evidence that his conduct continued after 2015 or that UNICEF was aware of the leaked emails when appointing him.
Quotes:
“Over a two-year period between 2014 and 2015, emails show, Lichner repeatedly supplied Israeli officials with internal UN documents, private meeting accounts, pre-release material, and other political intelligence—including documentation marked as ‘strictly confidential.’”
“UN officials are subject to rules defining staff as international civil servants whose responsibilities are ‘not national but exclusively international.’”
“It is a sign of an institution that does not have internal accountability. And the higher you go, the less accountability there is.”
I did not know that UNICEF had an office in Washington DC, I thought that was UNICEF-USA (US Committee for UNICEF) that had that
ReplyDeleteThere has been a "partnership" office - formerly PFO - in Washington for more than a decade or so. Like the rest of UNICEF it grew from one person to a team. With falling US government support - curious what they do these days?
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