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Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-908340
Israel Is Quietly Regaining Respect at the UN
(Jerusalem Post) Amb. Danny Danon interviewed by Herb Keinon - When Danny Danon returned to the UN in 2024 for his second stint as Israel's ambassador, the atmosphere was extraordinarily hostile. Israel's enemies were highly motivated, its allies exhausted, and ambassadors who had once met him regularly reluctant to be seen with him publicly. Two years later, he said in an interview, things are getting better. "When I came back after Oct. 7, I was shocked by the level of hostility and the hatred - the isolation. I think now the situation is improving." Danon sees a change behind closed doors. Following Israel's operations against Hizbullah and Iran, he said, diplomats - including from Muslim countries - quietly admired Israel's capabilities. The private admiration produces concrete results away from the UN floor: intelligence cooperation, trade, and growing interest in Israeli defense technology. Some deals are public; others remain discreet. The pager operation in Lebanon and Israel's ability to maneuver over Iran and rapidly establish air superiority were closely studied by military attaches in New York. They took notice, and this helped Israel regain both respect and deterrence. Danon rejects responding to UN hostility by abandoning the arena. "If we are not in the room and our allies are not in the room, it is much easier to isolate us. We have to be there. We have to be vocal, we have to build coalitions, and we have to demand changes in this organization."