Israel has accused members of the UN Committee to Investigate Human Rights Violations in the Palestinian Territories of making anti-Semitic statements or defending similar statements, calling for their dismissal and dissolution.
“The time has come to dissolve this commission,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Merav Elon Shahar, wrote in a letter to the chairman of the Human Rights Council, seen by AFP.
And she considered that the three members of the committee were no longer able to “effectively cope with their duties”, urging them to “resign immediately.”
Her call comes after the backlash generated by statements by committee member Melon Kotari during a recent interview with the Mondoweiss website, which covers news about the Palestinian territories, Israel, US politics and Palestinian rights.
Kothari hinted at the existence of a “Jewish lobby”, questioning the legitimacy of Israel’s membership in the United Nations.
“We are very disappointed with social networks that are largely controlled by the Jewish lobby or some particular NGO that spend a lot of money trying to discredit us,” he said in an interview.
BREAKING: In a letter sent to the UNHRC President tonight, Commission of Inquiry Chair Navi Pillay dismisses the US government’s calls for accountability after its commissioner, Milune Kothari, questioned Israel’s UN membership and ranted about the “Jewish lobby.” pic.twitter.com/UTUO2hVudy
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) July 28, 2022
Two days after the interview was published, the Israeli ambassador sent a first letter to the President of the Human Rights Council, Federico Pelegas, protesting these “comments, some of which are clearly anti-Semitic,” she claimed.
Committee Chair Navi Pillay, a former High Commissioner for Human Rights, stressed that Kotari’s comments “seem to be deliberately taken out of context” and deliberately misquoted.
She added that these statements reflect the committee’s frustration with Israel’s continued lack of cooperation with the experts.
In a message Friday, Israel’s ambassador denounced Pillay’s comments, saying they were “protection of the unprotected,” adding, “She supports anti-Semitism… that brings shame to all members of the United Nations.”
Israel refused to cooperate with the committee, which was formed after the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in May 2021, during which, according to local authorities, 260 Palestinians, including militants, were killed in Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip.
The commission’s experts have been tasked with investigating alleged human rights violations in the Palestinian territories and in Israel since April 13, 2021.
In a report released on June 7, the committee believes that Israeli occupation and racism against the Palestinian people are the “primary causes” of tension and instability.
Source: AFP.