On March 18th, Israel will come under unprecedented assault at the UN Human Rights Council under no less than seven biased reports, analyzed below, and then also under five resolutions.
By contrast, there will be nothing presented at the UNHRC that day on any other country in the world. For example, despite massive violations of human rights, the UNHRC will not debate a single report—neither on that day nor in the entire session—on regimes such as Algeria, China, Iraq, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Somalia, Turkey, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
To protest the UN’s discriminatory policies and practices targeting the Jewish state, there will be a major rally in Geneva, in front of the UNHRC.
I know exactly how you work.
Reports you mandated this session:
🇮🇱 On Israel – 7
🇰🇵 On North Korea – 2
🇮🇷 On Iran – 2
🇸🇾 Syria – 1
🇩🇿 Algeria – 0
🇨🇳 China – 0
🇮🇶 Iraq – 0
🇵🇰 Pakistan – 0
🇶🇦 Qatar – 0
🇷🇺 Russia – 0
🇸🇴 Somalia – 0
🇹🇷 Turkey – 0
🇻🇪 Venezuela – 0
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe – 0 https://t.co/lAWHoMayc7— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) March 2, 2019
LIST OF UNHRC’s 7 ANTI-ISRAEL REPORTS
TO BE PRESENTED ON MARCH 18TH
The following reports will be presented and debated on March 18th under the UNHRC’s permanent agenda item targeting Israel. (Agenda Item 7: “Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.”) No other country in the world is targeted under a special agenda item.
1. Report by Michael Lynk, the Special Rapporteur tasked with investigating “Israel’s Violations”
• Report Title: “Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967” (A/HRC/40/73)
• UN Description: “Pursuant to its decision 2/102 and its resolution 5/1, the Human Rights Council will consider the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Michael Lynk.”
• The Truth: Contrary to his title, the report will not examine “human rights in the Palestinian territories.” Rather, it will only condemn Israel, while saying nothing about the actions of the Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, including gross violations of human rights and atrocities. See UN Watch complaint here.
2. Report of Commission of Inquiry into Israel’s “Assault” on Gaza “Civilian Protests”
• UN Description: Pursuant to its resolution S-28/1, the Human Rights Council will consider the final report of the independent, international commission of inquiry to investigate all alleged violations and abuses of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, in the context of the military assaults on the large-scale civilian protests that began on 30 March 2018, whether before, during or after (A/HRC/40/74).
• The Truth: The verdict was delivered in advance. The resolution creating the commission of inquiry refers to Israel’s defense of its border as “assaults” on “civilian protesters.” See here.
2. Let's begin by taking at a look at the UNHRC resolution that created and governed the inquiry, Resolution S-28/1. This founding text of the inquiry falsely characterized all of the Palestinians at the border fence as “civilians” and their activities as ”peaceful protests.”
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) March 2, 2019
3. Report on “Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”
• Report Title: “Situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem” (A/HRC/40/39)
• UN Description: “Pursuant to its resolutions S-9/1 and S-12/1, the Human Rights Council will consider the report of the High Commissioner on the implementation of those resolutions.”
• The Truth: The reports will not focus on “human rights” generally in the region, but on blaming Israel. The resolution requesting these periodic reports, S-9/1 of January 2009. “strongly condemn[ed]” Israel for “massive violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people” and “systematic destruction of Palestinian infrastructure.” Likewise, S-12/1 of October 2009, “strongly condemn[ed] all policies and measures taken by Israel, the occupying Power, including those limiting access of Palestinians to their properties and holy sites particularly in Occupied East Jerusalem, on the basis of national origin, religion, sex, age or any other discriminatory ground, which are in grave violation of the Palestinian People’s civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.”
4. Report Calling to Prosecute Israeli Soldiers in the International Criminal Court
• Report Title: “Ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem” (A/HRC/40/43)
• UN Description: “Pursuant to its resolution 37/37, the Human Rights Council will consider the report of the High Commissioner on the implementation of that resolution.”
• The Truth: The resolution requesting this report is a weapon of lawfare: an effort to misuse the language and ideas of international law to erode Israelis’ ability to defend themselves from terrorist assault. Resolution 37/37 calls upon “all duty bearers and United Nations bodies” to implement recommendations contained in a series of anti-Israel reports: the report of the Schabas-Davis commission of inquiry on the 2014 Gaza conflict (Schabas was forced to resign when it was exposed he had been a paid PLO lawyer); the 2013 fact-finding mission on Israeli settlements, which called for a BDS blacklist of companies doing business over the 1949 Armistice Line; and the infamous 2009 Goldstone Report, which Goldstone himself renounced. The resolution seeks to collect information “on alleged perpetrators of violations of international law” (i.e., Israelis) “in support of future accountability efforts” which include “national or international criminal justice mechanisms,” citing in particular the preliminary examination of the International Criminal Court “into the situation in Palestine.”
5. Report Accusing Israeli of Rights Abuses in “The Occupied Syrian Golan”
• Report Title: “Human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan” (A/HRC/40/41)
• UN Description: “Pursuant to its resolution 37/33, the Human Rights Council will consider the report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan.”
• The Truth: The UN report consists almost solely of wild Syrian allegations against Israel, making up 20 out of the report’s 23 substantive paragraphs; the other three are false Iraqi allegations. The absurd and ironic Syrian allegations include:
• “Israel had been systematically violating the rights of the Syrian population in the occupied Syrian Golan, including the rights to development and to fundamental freedoms”;
• “the Syrian Arab Republic emphasized that Israel continued to implement its ‘Judaization’ and expansion campaigns; “Israeli practices and policies constituted serious violations of the civil, economic, social and cultural rights of Syrians in the occupied Syrian Golan”;
• “The Syrian Arab Republic described violations of economic and social rights, including the rights to freedom of movement”;
• “The Syrian Arab Republic noted that Israel continued to bury nuclear waste with radioactive content in 20 different areas populated by Syrian citizen.”
6. Report on Israeli Settlements
• Report Title: “Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan” (A/HRC/40/42)
• UN Description: “Pursuant to its resolution 37/36, the Human Rights Council will consider the report of the High Commissioner on the implementation of the provisions of that resolution”
7. Report on the Anti-Israel BDS Blacklist
• Report Title: “Database of all business enterprises involved in the activities detailed in paragraph 96 of the report of the independent international fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem” – Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/40/40)
• UN Description: “Pursuant to its resolution 31/36, the Human Rights Council will consider the report of the High Commissioner on the database of all business enterprises involved in the activities detailed in paragraph 96 of the report of the independent international fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.”
• The Truth: The true goal of the database is anti-Israeli BDS: to discourage companies from doing business with Israel by using as a target Israeli settlements. As recommended by Paragraph 117 of the UN Report on Settlements, which is expressly referenced in resolution 31/36, the official goal is to pressure Israel economically to withdraw from the settlements. As such, it is punitive in nature. Furthermore, at least one senior Palestinian official has expressed hope the blacklist will lead to sanctions. Significantly, under Article 41 of the UN Charter, only the Security Council has the authority to impose sanctions on a UN member state, including “complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio, and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic relations.” Thus, the creation of a blacklist designed to pressure Israel economically is beyond the authority of the Human Rights Council.
