The controversial statement and the apology:
The member of the Commission of Inquiry against Israel of the UN Human Rights Council, Milon Kotari, apologized yesterday (Thursday) for his words according to which he wonders why the UN allows Israel's membership in the organization, and for saying that "the Jewish lobby " controls the social networks and promotes a campaign of delegitimization for the committee.
"It was completely wrong for me to describe the social networks as mostly controlled by the 'Jewish lobby,'" the Indian wrote to the president of the UN Human Rights Council, Federico Viegas. "The choice of words was wrong, inappropriate and insensitive." He added Because he did not intend to question Israel's status as one of the 193 member states of the United Nations.
Kotari's apology came after a wave of condemnations from the US, the UK and other countries. Prime Minister Lapid called his words "anti-Semitic" and appealed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with the demand to disband the Commission of Inquiry, which was established following Operation Wall Guardian and its mandate to investigate Israel and no time limit was given to publish reports on her matter.
UN Secretary General Guterres.
Lapid demanded that he close the committee, photo: E.
times
Prime Minister Lapid. In Israel they rejected Kotari's apology and harshly attacked him, photo: Mark Israel Salem
Following Lapid's appeal, Guterres' spokesman said that "anti-Semitism has no place in the work of the United Nations", but emphasized that the Secretary-General has no authority over the committee, which is subordinate to the Human Rights Council.
In Israel they rejected Kothari's apology and attacked him harshly.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emmanuel Nachshon, said that "the so-called apology of committee member Kotari is a poor and unconvincing maneuver, which does not cover a long record of anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic statements by him and the other members of the committee."
In our opinion, against the background of their long-standing anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements, and the fact that they do not meet the basic rules of neutrality and impartiality expected of people in such positions at the UN, he and his colleagues must resign immediately. The commission as a whole should be disbanded. If the UN is indeed obliged to fight in anti-Semitism and to respect the need to maintain standards of neutrality and impartiality, this is the only reasonable outcome that can be considered," concluded the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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