The UN Deputy Secretary-General Got Detained at Israeli Airport. Here's What Nobody's Talking About

So here's what happened. Gilles Michaud, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on May 12. Within minutes, his passport was confiscated. He was escorted to a waiting area. Detained for 45 minutes. Questioned about his previous visit to Gaza. A United Nations Deputy Secretary-General. Detained. At an airport. Like a criminal. The Israeli government called it an "identity mistake." Oh, really? Your passport says "United Nations Deputy Secretary-General." Your face is on their website. And you call this a "mistake"? 1 Let me tell you something about how power works in this world. Last year, Michaud visited Gaza. With Israel's coordination. Everything was approved. Everything was legal. He did his job. This year, he arrives in Israel. And suddenly, he's a security threat? Suddenly, his coordinated visit from last year becomes suspicious? The man said this was "unprecedented." That in all the countries he's visited, he's NEVER experienced anything like this. Think about that for a second. A senior UN official who travels the world constantly. Never once detained. Until now. Until Israel. 2 Michaud said something crucial after his release: he's canceling ALL formal meetings in Israel. That's not dramatic. That's not an overreaction. That's a professional making a professional decision. Because here's what this incident really tells us: if a Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations can be detained for 45 minutes over a coordinated visit from last year... what chance does any regular UN staff member have?