Some 1,000 participants from a dozen countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, gathered in Geneva this afternoon to express their support for the State of Israel as the United Nations Human Rights Council held another debate on Israel and on the Commission of Inquiry report into the 2014 Gaza conflict.
Members and supporters of more than 80 NGOs, including many Jews and Christians, traveled to the Swiss city to express their support for the Jewish state and to urge the UN to treat Israel fairly.
In his speech to the rally, World Jewish Congress (WJC) CEO Robert Singer said: “The reason we are here today is to tell the United Nations that it needs to change. It needs to overcome its obsession with Israel. This obsession is destructive and it stands in the way of an effective human rights policy that is so badly needed.”
Singer insisted that Israel had a right to defend itself against Hamas. “Gaza is still an occupied territory, but the occupier is not Israel. It’s a terrorist movement called Hamas.” He added: “That’s because blaming Israel for every woe has become a sport. Not just here at the UN, but here especially.”
Ofir Libstein, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Azza, which is one kilometer away from the Gaza Strip, described the impact of the constant rocket fire from Gaza on his family: “My four little sons were born into a 15-second reality: the time between the rocket alert and the explosion. When they turned two, we had already trained them to run for cover.”
Libstein added: “Nitzan, my 11-year-old, was waiting for his soccer training to begin when a rocket attack started. Ever since, he cannot sleep by himself. Every alert and every explosion makes him relive the attack.”
Adele Raemer, a resident of Kibbutz Nirim, described how the residents at the kibbutz were nearly murdered a year when terrorists emerged from an attack tunnel.
She said: “I am disappointed by the tone at times of the Human Rights Council which insinuates that Israel does not demand accountability from her army. I know that in the process of protecting my community, our soldiers have put their lives at risk to save innocent Palestinian lives, aborting vital missions when non-combatant Palestinians were in harm's way.”
Raemer added: “We all need to be able to raise the next generation to respect our neighbors, not fear them. This is clearly not a conflict that can be resolved by weapons. It can only be resolved by courageous leaders and diplomacy.”
Other speakers at the rally included Colonel Richard Kemp, from British forces commander in Afghanistan, Dr. Gregory Laffite of the European Coalition for Israel, Anne Arfi of the Swiss Jewish community, the Italian journalist Giuliano Ferrara, and Israel’s ambassador to Switzerland, Yigal Caspi.
Transcript of the speech of WJC CEO Robert Singer at the Geneva rally, 29 June 2015
On behalf of the president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, and all Jewish communities world-wide, I thank you all for coming here today. We have more than 80 organizations who have united in organizing this rally in support of Israel.
We have people here from many, many countries, from Hungary, from Italy, from the Netherlands, from France…And this is not only a Jewish event; we have Christians and others who joined us here today, out of conviction.
Let me tell you: It is not a common sight these days in Europe to see so many Israeli flags in one place. And I am glad that so many of you have come here to show your colors.
The reason why we are here today is to tell the United Nations that it needs to change.
It needs to overcome its obsession with Israel. This obsession is destructive, and it stands in the way of an effective human rights policy that is so badly needed.
Today, whenever Israel has to make use of its legitimate right to defend its existence against the thousands of rockets fired onto its territories, when it tries to destroy the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas and other groups in Gaza, it is immediately accused of committing war crimes by the United Nations.
After the Holocaust, the World Jewish Congress played a role in the establishment of the UN and in the drafting of its Charter. Article 51 says, and I quote: ”Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations.”
Clearly, by firing hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians, Hamas and its allies launched an armed attack against a member state of the United Nations. And Israel was in its rights to respond.
It is Hamas that is the violator of human rights. It violates the sanctity of schools, of mosques, of hospitals. It uses civilians as human shields. And it executes people publicly without even giving them a fair trial.
As retired British Army Commander Richard Kemp, who is with us today, wrote in the 'New York Times' last week: The reason so many civilians died in Gaza last summer was not Israeli tactics or policy. It was Hamas’s strategy. And Israel did not go into Gaza because it wanted to expand its territory. Israel had to go into Gaza to defend its citizens.
As you all know, Israeli troops and settlers left the Gaza Strip ten years ago. Gaza is still an occupied territory. But the occupier is not Israel. It’s a terrorist movement called Hamas.And if it were not for the brutal Hamas regime, Gaza would be thriving today.
Yet many in the United Nations continue to blame Israel for everything that goes wrong in the area.
That’s because blaming Israel for every woe has become a sport. Not just here at the UN, but here especially.
The Human Rights Council has been in existence for only eight years, but has dealt with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict more extensively than with any other subject. So far, the Council issued more one-sided condemnations of Israel – sixty-one! - than of all the other countries in the world taken together…
Certainly, Israel is not perfect, and its army, its leaders make mistakes, and these need to be investigated. But Israel has independent courts. Israel investigates itself. Israel does intensive soul-searching after each military action. Israel holds its leaders to account.
Are you aware of similar actions in many other places in the Middle East?
Did you hear that the Palestinian Authority, or Hamas, or Hezbollah, or Assad, or ISIS, or anybody else in the Middle East have their actions questioned by an investigative committee?
Everybody knows the answer: No.
That’s why we are here today to tell the United Nations Human Rights Council:
Stop applying double standards towards Israel – it’s unfair.
Stop portraying Israel as a serial violator of human rights - it’s wrong.
Stop putting the democratic State of Israel on the same level as the terror regime of Hamas – it’s an insult.
Israel has a decent human rights track record, certainly the best in the Middle East.
But that’s beside the point, of course. Some members on this council don’t care about human rights. What they care about is pointing fingers at Israel to deflect attention from their own disturbing human rights record back home.
In 2006, when the Human Rights Council was established, then Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan, called it a “historic” development. He said it will help improve the lives of millions of people worldwide.
Well, that’s how it should have been. But that’s not how it has worked out...
The Human Rights Council and its obsession with Israel has to stop, not just because the reputation of the United Nations as the world’s leading body to enforce human rights is at stake.
But also because so many people need the United Nations to focus on THEIR plight as well. The people in Syria. The people in Iraq. The people in Somalia. The people in Pakistan.
While we’re here, let’s not forget this: While the Council is again meeting today to discuss matters relating to Israel and the Palestinians, more people across the Middle East are becoming refugees. Women are raped and innocent people are beheaded. Human rights violations of the worst kind are happening as the UN’s Human Right Council is again bashing Israel.
This Council has an important mandate to fulfil. But it can’t do so by applying different standards to different countries. The same standards must apply to everyone, and the most important challenges must get the top priority.
The UN must be fair, and the UN must be just towards all of its members. If it isn’t, it will not be effective. And effective it must be, for the sake of millions around the world.
Of course, Israel is not perfect. It can improve many things. Including on human rights. It needs to deal with criticism, and so it does. But Israel cannot and will not tolerate to be everybody’s punching bag.
And we will not and cannot tolerate that either.
Thank you all for coming here today.
Photos: Michael Thaidigsmann
