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French–Saudi Diplomatic Perfidy

French–Saudi Diplomatic Perfidy

A Critical Examination of UN Manipulation Against Israel

This analysis contends that the September 12, 2025, French–Saudi resolution before the UN General Assembly exemplifies a meticulously coordinated act of institutional subversion. It leverages normative narratives, educational narratives, and diplomatic orchestration to systematically delegitimize Israel, all while ignoring documented antisemitic indoctrination in Palestinian curricula. Employing both constructivist and realist theoretical frameworks, this paper elucidates the resolution’s strategic genesis, its epistemological inversion regarding education, the dynamics of an orchestrated Western coalition, Saudi geopolitical opportunism constrained by dynastic politics, and the sustained resilience of the US–Israel strategic alliance. The study demonstrates that this initiative’s operative failure consolidates pre-existing asymmetries and deepens regional instability, thus confirming the limits of multilateral diplomatic efforts driven by ideological compulsion rather than pragmatic realism.

The resolution of September 12, 2025, initiated by France and Saudi Arabia before the UN General Assembly, is an unprecedented diplomatic enterprise aimed at reshaping the regional geopolitical landscape. It exemplifies a strategic alignment among Western allied states—namely the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Belgium, and Malta—who collectively demonstrate an orchestrated recognition of Palestine, purportedly grounded in normative legitimacy but in fact serving a political agenda of systemic delegitimization of Israel. 

The resolution encapsulates a fundamental axiological inversion: it lauds reforms purportedly undertaken by the Palestinian Authority’s educational apparatus while demanding similar actions from Israel, thus establishing a moral equivalence that, upon closer scrutiny, masks a systematic antisemitic narrative form. This analysis deconstructs this process, contextualizing it within a broader framework of diplomatic norm entrepreneurship, regional power balancing, and the entrenched resilience of the US–Israeli strategic alliance. It adopts a constructivist approach—analyzing how normative narratives are constructed and weaponized within institutional processes—alongside realist insights that emphasize the enduring strategic interests underpinning alliance cohesion. Data sources comprise primary UN documents, including the New York Declaration and General Assembly debates, alongside NGO reports (IMPACT-SE 2025, Georg Eckert Institute 2021), official statements, and press reports. Methodologically, process tracing is used to uncover the coordination pathways, and textual analysis reveals the discursive mechanisms of normative inversion and educational manipulation.

The landmark conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia from July 28–30, 2025, simultaneously assembled representatives from 16 states, the European Union, and the Arab League. This forum produced the Declaration of New York, an eleven-page document which explicitly codified against Hamas—a move unprecedented in its diplomatic symbolism—creating a unified Arab condemnation that is key to neutralizing Israeli objections. The Declaration’s explicit praise for Palestinian textbook reform alongside a call for Israel to adopt “similar measures” constructs a moral equivalence that is fundamentally false, as verified by independent curricula analyses. The language of the declaration, notably its invocation of the “right of return,” is tied to a demographic strategy aimed at Israel’s “submersion,” all under the guise of transitional justice. This axiological inversion—relabeling ethno-demographic aspirations as human rights—embeds a narrative that bypasses the factual record of antisemitic indoctrination.

Educational Asymmetry and Normative Inversion

ImpactSE’s 2025 report documents the persistent, systemic incitement embedded in new Palestinian textbooks—materials actively financed with European Union funds (at least 380 million euros)—which continue to glorify terrorism, promote jihad, and include chants and poetry celebrating massacres, such as October 7, 2023, explicitly accompanied by gestures of throat-slitting. Such content flagrantly breaches UNESCO standards and historical norms on educational neutrality. In stark contrast, studies by Georg Eckert (2021) and IMPACT-SE (2022–23) record tangible improvements in Israeli curricula, with balanced conflict narratives, acknowledgment of past atrocities, and critical reflection—an evidence-based complexity absent from Palestinian education. The resolution’s omission of these reforms, coupled with its active celebration of curricula that institutionalize terrorist remuneration and glorify murderers of children, reveals objective complicity with systemic antisemitism and an axiological inversion.

Western Coalition Coordination and Conditionalities

The recognition announcements by the UK (July 29, 2025), Canada (July 30, 2025), Australia, Belgium, and Malta—supplemented by diplomatic cables confirming prior coordination—represent a rigorously planned project to generate diplomatic momentum. While the language appears symmetrical—conditions such as Israel’s ceasefire and Palestinian elections sans Hamas—careful analysis demonstrates their structural asymmetry: Israel is pressed to disarm unilaterally without binding security guarantees, whereas the Palestinian commitments remain procedural and unverifiable. This architectural asymmetry aims to tilt the process towards Palestinian demands and to weaken Israeli security posture.

Saudi Geopolitical Opportunism and Dynastic Constraints

Contrary to narratives depicting MBS as a free agent, emerging scholarship on Saudi power dynamics reveals persistent dependence on King Salman’s approval. The 2017 purges—targeting rivals and consolidating royal authority—do not convert the Crown Prince into an autonomous actor. Instead, decision-making on strategic dossiers, including the Palestine initiative, operates within a dynastic framework in which royal oversight is decisive. The suspension of Qatari mediation on November 9, 2024—a move justified by Riyadh as stemming from diplomatic exhaustion—created a geopolitical vacuum that Saudi Arabia actively exploited. The Israeli attack against Doha on September 10, 2025, which Doha denounced as “state terrorism,” collectively entrenched Saudi–French efforts at regional leadership, culminating in the recognition initiative.

Resilience of the US–Israel Axis and Geostrategic Embedding

Despite the unprecedented scope of Western recognition efforts, the US–Israeli alliance demonstrates unwavering resilience, built upon long-term strategic interests. Aiding Israel with over $3.8 billion annually, integrated missile-defense cooperation (Iron Dome, David’s Sling), and regional control of key energy corridors, the alliance effectively seizes upon the perceived threat to Israeli security as a basis to resist diplomatic pressure. Official US statements—particularly Secretary Rubio’s speech on September 4, 2025—labeled the resolution a “setback for peace” and explicitly warned that Israeli annexations could accelerate. This demonstrates a deliberate strategy to preserve the regional status quo, thus rendering the recognition efforts—despite their symbolic scope—operationally impotent.

Strategic Failure and Future Scenarios

The domestic political environment in France, exemplified by Ambassador Zarka’s remark about an “Arab street” influencing presidential calculations, underpins the initiative’s structural fragility. France’s conditional recognition, unsupported by credible enforcement mechanisms, isolated Paris within its own geopolitical orbit. Global and regional trends—friendly or hostile—predict a high likelihood of defensive stiffening from Israel, with accelerated annexation policies and diminished trust in diplomatic channels. Absent enforceable mechanisms—such as sanctions, verification regimes, or security guarantees—the recognition project remains symbolic, likely to deepen mutual distrust and empower radical factions.

Conclusion

This resolution epitomizes a diplomatic enterprise rooted not in genuine peacebuilding but in ideological manipulation and strategic power plays. The axiological inversion concerning curricula, the orchestration of Western recognition, and Saudi strategic pragmatism collectively entrench regional polarization. As a result, the initiative confirms the limits of multilateralism when driven by ideological—rather than pragmatic—motives and underlines that durable peace depends on realistic negotiations underpinned by enforceable safeguards rather than normative illusions. 

This analysis underscores the necessity for a recalibration of multilateral strategies—favoring security- and interest-based approaches over ideological posturing—to foster sustainable peace and regional stability.

References

Arab Center DC. (2025, août 13). Saudi Arabia’s response to Israel’s new security doctrine in the Levant. https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/saudi-arabias-response-to-israels-new-security-doctrine-in-the-levant/

Eckert, G. I. (2021). Report on Palestinian Textbooks: Executive Summary. Institut Georg Eckert. http://www.gei.de/fileadmin/gei.de/pdf/abteilungen/WiU/Report_on_Palestinian_Textbooks_-_Executive_Summary.pdf

IMPACT-SE. (2025). Arabs and Palestinians in Israeli Textbooks 2022–23: Special Report. IMPACT-SE. https://www.impact-se.org/wp-content/uploads/Arabs-and-Palestinians-in-Israeli-Textbooks-2022–23-Special-Report.pdf

Le Monde. (2025, septembre 4). Rubio slams France over Palestine recognition. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/09/04/rubio-slams-france-over-palestine-recognition_6745050_4.html

Lima, J. A. (2023). “Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Policy under MBS: Decision Unit Dynamics”. Revista de Contexto Internacional, 12(4), 45–67.

Middle East Eye. (2024, novembre 8). Qatar to withdraw as key mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/qatar-withdraws-key-mediator-gaza-ceasefire-talks-report

Reuters. (2024, novembre 9). Qatar stalls its Gaza ceasefire mediation. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatar-pull-out-gaza-ceasefire-mediation-source-says-2024-11-09/

Times of Israel. (2025, septembre 9). Diplomat says Qatar pulling out of Gaza mediation role; confirms Hamas to be ousted. https://www.timesofisrael.com/diplomat-says-qatar-pulling-out-of-gaza-mediation-role-confirms-hamas-to-be-ousted/

Université Mohammed VI. (2025). New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine. United Nations Digital Library. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4086846?ln=en

 

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The Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation: A Legacy Reborn

June 11, 2025 – 249 years ago, on this very date, history pivoted on the axis of human possibility.

June 11, 1776. The Continental Congress, meeting in the hallowed chambers of Independence Hall, appointed five extraordinary visionaries to a committee that would forever alter the trajectory of human civilization. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston—men of profound intellect and unwavering conviction—were entrusted with the sacred task of drafting the Declaration of Independence. In that momentous decision, they established not merely a political document, but a philosophical foundation upon which the principles of liberty, self-governance, and human dignity would rest for generations yet unborn.

Today, We Stand at Another Threshold

On June 11, 2025—exactly 249 years later—the Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation emerges to carry forward the luminous torch of those founding principles into the complexities of our modern age. Just as Jefferson and his fellow committee members understood that true independence required both visionary thinking and strategic action, the Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation recognizes that preserving and advancing liberty in the 21st century demands sophisticated analysis, bold leadership, and unwavering commitment to the fundamental values that define human flourishing.

A Foundation Built on Timeless Principles

The parallels between then and now are profound:

  • Then, Five visionary leaders gathered to articulate the philosophical foundations of a new nation. Now, A new foundation emerges to advance strategic thinking on liberty’s most pressing challenges
  • Then, The Committee of Five understood that ideas must be coupled with practical wisdom. Now, The Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation bridges timeless principles with contemporary strategic insight
  • Then, They recognized that liberty requires constant vigilance and thoughtful stewardship. Now, We commit to that same vigilance in an increasingly complex world

In the shadow of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, where the Mursi people etch resilience into their skin through lip plates and the Hamar tribe’s bull-jumping rites forge indomitable courage, a new chapter in the global fight for liberty begins. The Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation (LVS Foundation) launches today as a vanguard of 21st-century research, merging scholarly rigor with actionable strategy through its revolutionary Cohesive Research Ecosystem (CORE). Founded by Dr. Fundji Benedict—a scholar whose lineage intertwines Afrikaner grit, Ethiopian sovereignty, and Jewish perseverance—this institution embodies a legacy of defiance inherited from history’s most audacious truth-seekers, from Zora Neale Hurston to the warrior women of Ethiopia. This duality—scholarship as sword and shield—mirrors Dr. Benedict’s own journey. For 10+ years, she navigated bureaucratic inertia and geopolitical minefields, her resolve hardened by the Ethiopian women warriors who once defied Italian fascism.

 

 

I. The Hurston Imperative: Truth as a Weapon

Zora Neale Hurston, the Harlem Renaissance icon who “broke through racial barriers” and declared, “Truth is a letter from courage,” is the Foundation’s spiritual lodestar. Like Hurston, who documented Black life under Jim Crow with unflinching authenticity, the LVS Foundation wields research as both shield and scalpel. BRAVE, its human rights arm, intervenes in crises with the precision Hurston brought to folklore studies, transforming marginalized voices into policy. When Somali warlords displace the Gabra people or Ethiopian officials seize tribal lands, BRAVE acts with the urgency of Hurston’s anthropological missions, ensuring that “truth-telling becomes liberation”.

Dr. Benedict’s decade-long journey mirrors Hurston’s defiance. “My ancestors did not bow. I will not bow,” she asserts, her cadence echoing the Omo Valley’s ceremonial chants. This ethos permeates the Foundation’s CORE model, where BRAVE, COMPASS, and STRIDE operate in symphonic unity. “CORE is our answer to siloed thinking,” Dr. Benedict explains. “Through this cohesive ecosystem, BRAVE, COMPASS, and STRIDE work in concert—breaking down

barriers between academic research, fieldwork, and strategic action. This enables us to develop innovative solutions and stride toward lasting change”.

 

II. Necropolitics and the Battle for Human Dignity

The Foundation’s research agenda confronts necropolitics—a term coined by Achille Mbembe to describe regimes that decide “who may live and who must die”. In Somalia, where Al-Shabaab turns villages into killing fields, and South Africa, where post-apartheid politics increasingly marginalize minorities, the LVS Foundation exposes systemic dehumanization. STRIDE, now correctly positioned as the bulwark against terrorism and antisemitism, dismantles networks fueled by Qatari financing and ideological venom. COMPASS, the geopolitical hub, maps Qatar’s $6 billion influence campaigns, revealing how Doha’s alliances with Islamist groups destabilize democracies from Sahel to Paris, France.

“Qatar hides behind diplomatic immunity while funding mass murder,” Dr. Benedict states, citing Israeli intelligence linking Qatari funds to Hamas’s October 7 massacre. Meanwhile, BRAVE echoes fieldwork in Ethiopia’s Babille Elephant Sanctuary—where Dr. Benedict has studied bee barriers to resolve human-wildlife conflict—and epitomizes the Foundation’s ethos: “We turned conflict into cooperation, just as our ancestors turned adversity into art”.

 

III. The Ethiopian Woman Warrior: A Blueprint for Ferocity

The Foundation’s DNA is steeped in the legacy of Ethiopian women who weaponized intellect and audacity. Woizero Shewareged Gedle, who orchestrated prison breaks and ammunition heist during Italy’s occupation, finds her echo in STRIDE’s Intelligence operations. She struck an Italian officer mid-interrogation and declared, “You may imprison me, but you will not insult me”. Her defiance lives in STRIDE’s intelligence operations and BRAVE’s land-rights advocacy for all minorities like the Hamar, who endure ritual whipping to cement bonds of loyalty – a fight as visceral as it is cerebral -, but also the tribes or the Afrikaners in South Africa who face expropriation of their property without compensation. Dr. Benedict’s leadership rejects the false binary between academia and activism: “Research is not abstraction—it is alchemy. We transmute data into justice”.

 

IV. Conclusion: Lighting the Torch for Generations

The Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation stands as more than an institution—it is a living testament to the unyielding spirit of those who refuse to let darkness prevail. In a world where necropolitics reduces human lives to chess pieces and terrorism metastasizes in the shadows, the Foundation’s CORE research ecosystem illuminates a different path: one where rigorous scholarship becomes the catalyst for liberation. Every report published, every policy advocated, and every community defended is a reaffirmation of democracy’s most sacred tenet—that every life holds irreducible value.

Dr. Benedict’s vision transcends academic abstraction: BRAVE’s defense of pastoralist communities, COMPASS’s geopolitical cartography, and STRIDE’s dismantling of hate networks are not isolated acts but threads in a tapestry woven with the same audacity that Zora Neale Hurston brought to anthropology and Woizero Shewareged Gedle to resistance. The Foundation’s decade-long gestation mirrors the patience of Ethiopian honey hunters who wait years for the perfect hive—a reminder that enduring change demands both urgency and perseverance.

As a beacon for liberty, the LVS Foundation invites collaboration across borders and disciplines. To governments grappling with Qatar’s influence campaigns, to activists documenting human rights abuses, to citizens weary of complacency, the Foundation offers not just data but a blueprint for courage and defiance. Its research ecosystem—dynamic, interconnected, and unapologetically action-oriented—proves that knowledge, when wielded with integrity, can dismantle even the most entrenched systems of oppression.

 

The Torch Burns Bright

Over the past decade, Dr Benedict has combined rigorous academic work with on-the-ground engagement, building the knowledge and networks required to create this institution. Now, as the Foundation opens its doors, it stands as a testament to principled scholarship and action. In the legacy of Zora Neale Hurston’s fearless truth-telling, the LVS Foundation embraces the

power of knowledge guided by values. Crucially, the LVS Foundation maintains strict independence from any partisan or governmental funding. This non-partisanship is a cornerstone of its identity. “From day one, we refuse to be anyone’s instrument – no government, no party. Our independence guarantees that our voice remains unbiased and our research uncompromised,” Dr. Benedict emphasizes. “We owe that to the truth we seek. Hurston taught us about authenticity and courage; in that spirit, we will not pander or censor ourselves. We will ask the hard questions and pursue answers – wherever they lead – in service of liberty and human dignity.”

The revolution Dr. Benedict ignited is not hers alone. It belongs to every individual who dares to believe that democracy can be defended, that integrity can be restored, and that liberty is worth every sacrifice. Zora Neale Hurston once wrote, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” For the LVS Foundation, this is the year of answers and a responsibility to honor Hurston’s legacy by ensuring truth is not just spoken but lived. Those seeking to support Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation—through funding, fieldwork, or amplification—are welcomed at [email protected] or [email protected].