The World Jewish Congress (WJC) has condemned the adoption by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) last week of five anti-Israel resolutions and urged the council to adjust its priorities and expose the real human rights violators in the world. According to the WJC, last week's resolutions adopted by the council "undermine the chances of direct negotiations and a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. In doing so, the UNHRC has diminished United Nations efforts at getting the talks back on track, a stated goal of the International Quartet for the Middle East of which the UN is a member", the WJC said in a statement.
Among the deleterious resolutions is the establishment of a commission that would investigate if Israeli construction of settlements in the West Bank, including in eastern Jerusalem, has violated the rights of the Palestinians. Other resolutions deal with charges by Syria of alleged human rights violations by Israel, and a resolution to follow up to the disingenuous Goldstone Report which was later repudiated by former South African Judge Richard Goldstone himself.
"Once again, the UNHRC has betrayed its name and mission by demonstrating a deep bias against Israel, repeating false charges against her in prejudiced resolutions that purposely ignore Israel's record at upholding human rights. The UNHRC turns a blind eye to the human rights abuses of many of the countries in the world that are the worst violators, while focusing inordinate amounts of time and resources on condemning Israel," said WJC North America Chairwoman Evelyn Sommer.
"These resolutions prejudge the issues and weaken the possibility of re-starting the direct peace negotiations mandated by UN Security Council resolutions. In adopting them, the UN disregards Israel's important concessions toward peace, her security concerns, the historical rights of the Jewish people in Israel, and encourages the Palestinians' refusals to come to the peace table, to which Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly invited them without any preconditions. In the end, the United Nations has once again succeeded in undercutting its stated desire to see peace in the Middle East, thus negating its own charter,” she added.
"The UNHRC should adjust its priorities to exposing and condemning the real human rights violators in the world. The recent renewal of the mandate of the human rights investigator for Iran is a step in the right direction. But much more needs to be done to by the UNHRC so that it becomes a credible body in the defense of human rights, and not a mockery or tool abused by Israel's enemies for political aims," said Sommer.
