World Jewish Congress praises US statement rejecting UNHRC’s discrimination against Israel

NEW YORK - The World Jewish Congress has praised the United States’ envoy to the United Nations Human Rights Council for her remarks rejecting the body’s one-sided discrimination against Israel.

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder, CEO and Executive Vice President Robert R. Singer, WJC North America Chair Evelyn Sommer and WJC North America Executive Director Betty Ehrenberg sent a letter to US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Erin Barclay to express the organization’s appreciation of her remarks, and support for calls to denounce the UNHRC as long as it remains fixated on Israel.

“The World Jewish Congress deeply appreciates your remarks in Geneva demanding that the United Nations Human Rights Council end its discrimination against Israel and remove Item 7 from its permanent agenda. We support the strong denunciation by the United States of this biased and one-sided body,” the WJC leaders wrote.

“As the international organization representing more than 100 Jewish communities around the world, the WJC is deeply committed to the values of universal human rights and respect for human dignity. We believe that the Human Rights Council is an important mechanism within the United Nations, but are troubled and concerned that this particular Council has lost direction and become fixated on singling out Israel for condemnation. Since its establishment, this Council has approved a record-breaking number of resolutions condemning Israel – more than 65 resolutions, or over half of all country-specific resolutions.

“The World Jewish Congress will continue to speak out against the UNHRC as long as this bias against Israel remains. We support the calls voiced both in the United States and other countries denouncing the UNHRC over this bias, and look forward to the day when the United Nations Human Rights Council resumes its focus on protecting human rights worldwide,” the letter concluded.