An allied diplomat at the United Nations resigned from his positions on Friday and levelled allegations against the international body, claiming that it was preparing for a scenario of “possible nuclear weapon use”.
Mohamad Safa was the main representative of Patriotic Vision or PVA at the United Nations. PVA is an international organisation with special consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
According to the UN environment programme ‘Champions of the Earth’, Safa served as executive director at Patriotic Vision Organization (PVA) since 2013 and in 2016, PVA nominated him to become its Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Safa announced his resignation through a post on X accompanied by a letter detailing his reasoning behind the decision. He said that he took the decision after “much reflection” and claimed that some seniors at the UN were “serving a powerful lobby”.
“I have decided to suspend all my duties as PVA Main Representative at the UN and from all UN committees/groups of which I am a member,” Safa wrote in the post.
“I cannot in good conscience be part of or witness to what is happening at a time when the UN is preparing for possible nuclear weapon use. It has been an honor cooperating with the UN for nearly 12 years under different Secretaries-General and Human Rights Council Presidents, leading PVA delegation,” he added.
Facing criticism since October 2023
In his letter, Safa said that he wanted to resign in 2023 as well, and had been patient for three years.
Mentioning several conflicts across the world, Safa said that some officials at the United Nations do not want to accuse Israel and the United States of violation of the international law.
He said that the top UN officials “refuse to describe what is happening in Gaza as genocide, what is happening in Lebanon as war crimes and ethnic cleansing, that the war on Iran is illegal under international law, that Iran posed no imminent threat to world peace”.
“…and clearly they do not want to accuse Israel and the United States of violating international law and committing war crimes effectively shielding decision-makers from such designation-all due to pressure from powerful lobby,” he added.
Safa alleged that he received criticism when he expressed his concerns and different perspective after October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel which led to a war that went on for over two years.
“After that date, and after that same lobby imposed a new world order, which all started in Gaza, and as I expressed my concerns and offered a differing perspective, I found myself facing a range of criticisms and allegations,” he said.
‘Received death threats, abandoned’
Safa alleged that he was abandoned by the United Nations and that he received death threats for him and his family. He also claimed being censored at the UN, not by the body itself but by some senior officials who he said “abuse their power to serve that lobby”.
Safa did not name any officials in his letter.
The envoy even alleged that these seniors backed a misinformation campaign that claimed that Iran posed a nuclear threat and sowed a pro-war sentiment to encourage war against the Islamic Republic.
“Early this year, senior officials and influential diplomats, supported by global media and social media algorithms, deployed a misinformation campaign claiming an Iran nuclear threat and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran but throughout the region, further their own agenda,” Safa wrote in his letter.
“This lobby was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to world peace. This was a lie and is the same tactic used to commit genocide in Gaza and the same tactic is being used now to ethnic cleansing and the occupation of Lebanon. The UN cannot make this mistake again. Until the reform process outlined by the UN Secretary-General is meaningfully implemented, I regret that I must suspend all my duties,” he added.
