The International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists has re-elected Irit Kohn as its president. World Jewish Congress CEO Robert Singer and Israel's Chief Justice Asher Grunis were among guest speakers at a congress in the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat.
The main topic of the gathering of the prestigious organization, which is affiliated with the World Jewish Congress, focuses on the question 'International human rights and Israel - Politicization or a complex reality?'
The re-elected president of IAJLJ, Irit Kohn, highlighted some of the challenges the group faces, including rising anti-Semitism, fighting the incitement to genocide by Iran’s rulers and the battle for Israel’s legitimacy in the international arena. In an interview with the 'Jerusalem Post', Kohn also said that much of the strength the organization enjoyed came from its status as a recognized NGO at the United Nations, which enabled it to participate in the deliberations of various UN bodies.
“The association uses this status at the UN to advocate on behalf of Israel and present opposition in forums like the Human Rights Council, against its one-sided resolutions. We have already signed up to take part in the Durban III world conference against racism, which is scheduled to take place in New York City in September and which formal Israel has decided to boycott, along with other countries,” said Kohn.
“An important aspect of our UN activity consists of interceding and lobbying with state representatives prior to votes on controversial resolutions,” Kohn added.
Asher Grunis, the president of the Israel's Supreme Court since 2012, also spoke at the Eilat congress and commended IAJLJ on its activities combating anti-Semitism. He said there had been an alarming rise in recent years of acts against Jews based solely on their religion. He also mentioned last week's stabbing of a rabbi in Belgium and the terrorist attack at a Jerusalem synagogue on Tuesday in which five people were murdered. "Jewish jurists and lawyers can play a role in fighting anti-Semitism through the strengthening of legislation and law enforcement," Grunis said. Israel was in a challenging position of having to balance the protection of its citizens and the safeguarding of human rights, he added.
Robert Singer also praised IAJLC's work in international organizations, in particular the United Nations. Referring to the world body, Singer said: "There is a strange tendency – even in the West – to apply different standards to different countries. Israel is often held to a higher standard than its neighbors. Most of the time, the world is silent about the mass slaughter currently taking place in Syria and in Iraq. It is silent when it comes to blatant human rights abuses in African countries. It is silent about the crimes committed by Hamas and other fanatic groups not just against Israel but against their own people in Gaza. The world is silent far too often.
"And yet, the same people who are silent in the face of brutal crimes habitually point fingers at Israel for allegedly disregarding human rights," he pointed out.
"The Human Rights Council has a strong anti-Israel bias, as have other UN bodies. The United Nations Human Rights Council is literally obsessed with Israel. Commissions of inquiry are appointed into Israel’s handling of Operation Protective Edge. When you look at some of their members you already know the outcome…," the WJC CEO told the delegates at the congress.
He nonetheless urged them to continue their work with the UN. "Some people would argue that it is pointless to engage with such a body, which has an in-built majority of countries that are opposed to Israel. Nonetheless, we strongly believe that it is necessary to engage at the UN," adding that it was "in the interest of Israel and of the Jewish people" to work with the various UN bodies.
"Let us join together in this important battle to fight for a better UN, to advocate for universal human rights and to ensure that Israel gets a fair deal in New York and Geneva," Singer declared.
IAJLJ was founded in 1969. Among its founders were Supreme Court Justices Haim Cohn of Israel, Arthur Goldberg of the United States and Nobel Prize laureate René Cassin of France. Its membership comprises lawyers, judges, judicial officers and academic jurists in more than 50 countries who are active locally and internationally as the need arises.
