(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Anne Bayefsky - The UN Human Rights Council has launched the most hostile anti-Israel "inquiry" in UN history, headed by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. In May 2021 the HRC created an "ongoing independent, international commission of inquiry" with a sweeping mandate to investigate "all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and...human rights law leading up to and since April 13, 2021, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem." The HRC resolution failed to refer to Hamas at all, let alone condemn the launch of thousands of rockets by Hamas into Israel. Indeed, the Israeli civilian population was omitted, mentioning only the "Palestinian civilian population." The "inquiry" will have the mandate to ferret out "discrimination and repression based on national, ethnic, racial or religious identity" and to find discrimination and repression at the hands of Jews. This is full-frontal antisemitism, an inversion of the truth, such that the Jewish victims of racism and religious hatred become its perpetrators. The verdict of this kangaroo court is a foregone conclusion. Efforts must be made to encourage governments to condemn the HRC "inquiry" and underscore that it undermines the promotion of international human rights. Answering the "Call for Submissions" - and ensuring that alternative voices reach the court of public opinion - provides an opportunity for all those committed to combating modern antisemitism and defending the human rights of Israelis. The writer is Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, and President of Human Rights Voices.
2021-12-23 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive