Israeli think tank lobbies US to withdraw from United Nations
Misgav hired Washington firm to promote UN exit proposal as Trump administration continues retreat from international institutions
WASHINGTON (MNTV) — An Israeli right-wing think tank hired a Washington lobbying firm to promote a proposal urging the United States to leave the United Nations, targeting senior Trump administration officials and members of Congress, according to Haaretz.
The Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy commissioned Mercury Public Affairs to distribute a report arguing that Washington should abandon the UN and develop alternative international institutions to pursue US interests.
The report, titled “From UN Bureaucracy to American Global Leadership,” was co-authored by Gilad Erdan, Israel’s former ambassador to the UN, and Asher Fredman, Misgav’s executive director.
US lobbying disclosures reviewed by Haaretz show that Misgav agreed to pay Mercury $5,000 for a month-long engagement that ended July 24.
Mercury was tasked with circulating the report among members of Congress and administration officials and arranging meetings between its authors and US policymakers.
The lobbying campaign targeted congressional committees dealing with foreign affairs, armed services and appropriations, as well as officials at the National Security Council, State Department, US Mission to the UN and White House Office of Management and Budget.
A subsequent phase envisaged a three-day Washington visit by Misgav representatives for meetings with lawmakers, government officials, policy specialists and think tanks.
Misgav said the arrangement was limited and intended primarily to give Fredman an opportunity to present the institute’s research during a short Washington visit.
The report portrays the UN as fundamentally incapable of meaningful reform and accuses the organization of pursuing policies hostile to US and Israeli interests. It also attacks UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees that has faced sustained Israeli pressure over its operations.
The lobbying effort comes as the administration of President Donald Trump has increasingly challenged multilateral institutions, raising questions about Washington’s commitment to the international system while maintaining close strategic ties with Israel.
Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization, UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Council, suspended funding for UNRWA and again pulled Washington from the Paris climate agreement.
Trump also ordered a review that led to plans for US withdrawal from 66 international organizations and UN-related bodies, including 31 entities within the UN system.
The Misgav report argues that Washington should replace existing multilateral structures with arrangements that more directly serve American strategic interests, while portraying the UN’s treatment of Israel as evidence of what its authors describe as institutional bias.
Erdan, who served as Israel’s UN ambassador from 2020 to 2024 and concurrently held the US ambassadorial post for part of that period, became one of the organization’s most prominent Israeli critics.
His criticism intensified following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza.
Misgav said Mercury arranged about five meetings with congressional and administration advisers where Fredman presented the report. The institute said it has since ended its relationship with the lobbying company.
The institute also described the report as an examination of what it considers anti-Israel, anti-American and anti-Western activity within UN institutions, while advocating a reassessment of US financial support for certain UN bodies.
The lobbying campaign was registered under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires disclosure of certain political and advocacy activities conducted on behalf of foreign principals.
Misgav said it is an independent research organization and rejected suggestions that its work constituted political activity.
According to Haaretz, the institute received approximately 7 million shekels ($2.3 million) in donations during 2024 and 2025, with most of the funding reportedly coming anonymously through two US nonprofit organizations.
The episode highlights the increasingly intertwined political agendas surrounding Washington’s retreat from international institutions, with Israeli advocacy groups seeking to influence US policy while the Trump administration itself pursues a broader rollback of American participation in the multilateral system.
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