UN’s Meeting with Hezbollah Exposes Support for Terror and Lebanon’s Weak Governance

A senior UN representative meets directly with a high-ranking Hezbollah official. On May 30, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, met with Wafiq Safa, head of Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit, whose status has significantly strengthened following the war. Plasschaert, a Dutch national, has been in her role since May 2024. Prior to that, she was a member of the European Parliament, a member of the Dutch House of Representatives, the Dutch Minister of Defense, and the UN Special Coordinator for Iraq.

We are, of course, not surprised by the hypocritical and cynical behavior of the UN and its representatives, which effectively supports terrorism. Nevertheless, we chose to remind the UN and Plasschaert of a few things:

• Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that undermines the formal institutions of the state of Lebanon which is a UN member.
• Hezbollah is behind a violent campaign in recent weeks in southern Lebanon against UNIFIL forces to prevent UNIFIL from implementing its mandate under Resolution 1701, which Hezbollah violates daily.
• Wafiq Safa is responsible, among other things, for “opening doors,” literally and figuratively, at the airport and seaports to enable Hezbollah to smuggle weapons and money into Lebanon, which are used for Hezbollah’s terrorist activities.

Regarding the Lebanese government, the very fact of the meeting reinforces that the Lebanese government is, in some cases, unable and, in others, struggles to confront Hezbollah. A government that truly governs a country would not allow such a meeting.