The UN General Assembly has a new president from Bangladesh – a country that does not officially recognize Israel: the Palestinians congratulated, Russia is already waiting in Moscow

The new President of the UN General Assembly is from a country that does not officially recognize Israel

On June 2, 2026, the UN General Assembly elected the president of its 81st session. The position went to Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, who received 99 votes against 91 votes for the candidate from Cyprus, Andreas S. Kakouris. The voting took place at the UN headquarters in New York, and the 81st session of the General Assembly will begin in September 2026.

Formally, this is a routine procedure within the UN.

But for Israel, this news has an unpleasant political undertone. Bangladesh does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and does not recognize the Jewish state. In 2021, Bangladesh removed the phrase “valid for all countries of the world except Israel” from its passports, but the then Foreign Minister of the country emphasized that Dhaka’s position on Israel had not changed, and there was no recognition.

And in April 2025, the authorities of Bangladesh decided to return the previous wording “except Israel” to passports after street pressure and mass pro-Palestinian actions. Arab News reported that the immigration department received a directive to print this clause again, effectively closing travel to Israel for Bangladeshi citizens.

This is why the appointment of Khalilur Rahman does not look like a neutral personnel news.

For the Israeli audience, this is another signal: even where powers seem procedural, the international stage remains filled with countries for which Israel is not a partner, not a neighbor, and not a state with the right to a normal place in the UN system, but a political irritant.

What the President of the General Assembly can do

The President of the UN General Assembly is not the Secretary-General and not the head of the Security Council. He does not command peacekeepers, does not impose sanctions, and cannot unilaterally force states to vote one way or another.

But saying that this position means nothing at all is also incorrect.

The President conducts meetings, influences the organization of the agenda, coordinates major discussions, appoints informal consultations, participates in negotiations with states, and helps shape the political atmosphere of the session. In the UN, where resolutions often become a tool of pressure on Israel, even procedural control matters.

Sometimes it’s not just the text of the resolution that matters.

It’s important who gets the microphone first. Who gets the platform. How quickly a discussion is convened. Which topic is presented as a “global priority,” and which one fades into the background under diplomatic formulas.

Palestinians quickly noted the victory, Russia immediately joined the game

The Palestinian agency WAFA reported on June 2, 2026, about the election of Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister as the president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The publication specifically noted that Rahman spoke about the crisis of trust in the international system and the challenges associated with wars and conflicts.

This seemed expected.

Bangladesh traditionally supports the Palestinian agenda, and Palestinian diplomacy is adept at quickly working with symbols within the UN. A new president from a country that does not recognize Israel and returns the anti-Israel clause to passports is a convenient political sign for Ramallah.

Russia also quickly manifested itself.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, through the director of the department of international organizations Kirill Logvinov, congratulated Rahman and expressed readiness for close constructive cooperation. The Russian side also announced that it expects the new president of the General Assembly to visit Moscow to discuss UN agenda issues; according to TASS, the visit is scheduled for June 7-9, 2026.

The formula is familiar: “constructive cooperation,” “central role of the UN,” “world affairs,” “Global South and East.”

But in 2026, such words from Moscow can no longer be read as ordinary diplomatic protocol. Russia is waging war against Ukraine, blocking fair decisions in the Security Council, using the UN as an arena for propaganda, and simultaneously getting closer to Iran — an enemy of Israel and a partner of terrorist structures in the Middle East.

Why Moscow is in a hurry

For Russia, the UN General Assembly is not just a platform. It is a space where responsibility can be diluted, where votes from the Global South can be sought, where the conversation about “multipolarity” can be promoted, and where attention can be diverted from Russian aggression to any other crises.

This is why the invitation of Rahman to Moscow seems logical.

The Kremlin benefits from working with those who speak the language of “UN reform,” “sovereign equality,” and “interests of the Global South,” but at the same time may be less sensitive to Israeli security, Ukrainian pain, and the real nature of the Russian war. Moscow always seeks not only allies but also convenient platforms where its rhetoric sounds louder than facts.

For Israel, this is a familiar story.

When the UN discusses Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, or the war in Gaza, the Israeli position often drowns in an automatic majority ready to condemn Israel faster than terrorists. If Russian diplomatic activity is added to this, the picture becomes even more unpleasant.

For Israel, this is not the end of the world, but a bad sign

It is not worth exaggerating the power of the President of the General Assembly. Khalilur Rahman will not be able to unilaterally rewrite the UN Charter, impose decisions on states, or turn the General Assembly into a fully controlled mechanism against Israel.

But symbols in international politics also work.

The General Assembly has long been an arena where Israel often finds itself as a convenient target. Resolutions, emergency discussions, loud speeches, accusatory formulas, pressure from anti-Israel blocs — all this does not start with one president, but the president can set the tone, pace, and political framework.

For Nikk.Agency — Israel News | Nikk.Agency this story is important not as another news from New York, but as a reminder of the reality in which Israel lives. International institutions do not exist in a vacuum. They are filled by states with their interests, prejudices, alliances, fears, and deals.

Bangladesh, Israel, and the old problem of the UN

The situation is particularly indicative because of the country of origin of the new president. Bangladesh is a large Muslim country in South Asia, an active participant in international organizations, and a constant supporter of the Palestinian agenda. Its position on Israel remains tough: there are no diplomatic relations, no recognition, and the passport formula “except Israel” has returned to political circulation after mass street pressure.

It is important for Israelis to see this context without illusions.

In the UN, there is often talk of peace, dialogue, human rights, and international law. But when the President of the General Assembly is a representative of a country where the very possibility of a normal attitude towards Israel remains politically toxic, Jerusalem has reasons to closely watch the upcoming session.

This does not mean that every step of Rahman will automatically be directed against Israel.

But it means that Israel cannot treat his election as a technical reshuffle. Especially when the Palestinian side quickly records the event in its information field, and Russia almost immediately invites the new president to Moscow.

Main conclusion: The UN is once again testing Israel’s diplomatic resilience

The new session of the UN General Assembly will begin in the fall of 2026. By this time, Israel will already have a clear task: not to wait for the agenda to be formed for it, but to work in advance with allies, neutral countries, and those states that do not want to turn the UN into a platform for automatic pressure on the Jewish state.

In the modern world, diplomacy is not only about official statements.

It is a struggle for language, for the order of discussion, for the right to explain one’s security not after accusations, but before them. Israel knows too well the price of moments when terrorist organizations receive a political cover, and states associated with the enemies of the West and allies of Iran begin to speak on behalf of “peace.”

Therefore, the story of Khalilur Rahman’s election is important.

It shows how quickly a familiar circle of interests forms around a new figure in the UN: Palestinian diplomacy sees an opportunity, Russia sees a platform, Bangladesh gains prestige, and Israel must once again prepare for a difficult struggle for its own legitimacy in an international system that too often confuses neutrality with convenient blindness.