Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat

Condemnatory

Yes

Analysis

• The Division serves the biased Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and is dedicated to spreading anti-Israel propaganda. Its 16-member staff is grossly disproportionate to the UN's other four divisions which cover enormous geographical regions. The Division's work is counterproductive to the peace process and seeks to coordinate international boycotts against Israel instead of seeking bridges for peace.
• Among other things, the Division organizes an annual exhibit or cultural event in connection with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29th, which is used as an opportunity to spread misinformation on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. In 2020, the exhibit, displayed virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, relied on inflammatory and misleading imagery aimed at misrepresenting Israel's legitimate security measures as apartheid, took source material from an antisemitic website, and used distorted and decontextualized quotes from leading Israeli figures such as David Ben-Gurion and Moshe Sharett to delegitimize Israel with the slander that it was built on the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
• This year's resolution called on the Division to "commemorate the anniversary of the Nakba," using the Arabic word meaning "catastrophe" which is how the Palestinians refer to the founding of the State of Israel. This lends the UN’s imprimatur to the rejectionist narrative that the independence of Israel constitutes a “catastrophe.”
• Furthermore, the Division excludes from its events any NGO that does not support its work.

Main Sponsors

Senegal

Vote

Yes - 101, No - 27, Abstain - 42, Absent - 23

See Full Vote

Key Praise

None

Key Criticism

• "Requests the Division, in particular, to continue to monitor developments relevant to the question of Palestine, to organize international meetings and activities in support of the Committee's mandate with the participation of all sectors of the international community and to ensure...the continued participation of eminent persons and international renowned experts in these meetings and activities... to liaise and cooperate with civil society and parliamentarians... to develop and expand the 'Question of Palestine' website and the documents collection of the United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine..."
• "Further requests the Division to commemorate the anniversary of the Nakba, including by organizing annual events and through the dissemination of relevant archives and testimonies."