The UN report against Israel: satisfaction in Jerusalem with the backing of 20 countries in the General Assembly | Israel today

The international community stands by Israel:

in Jerusalem, there is satisfaction with the support given to Israel at the UN Assembly by many central countries, in the face of the hostile and biased report presented yesterday (Thursday) by the investigation committee of the organization's Human Rights Council.

Among the major countries that mobilized to defend Israel are the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Canada and Italy - as well as Australia, whose new left-wing government last week canceled the recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel's capital, but emphasized that it will continue to remain a "strong friend" of the Jewish state.

The European Union, known for its critical policy against Israel, also stood up against the unilateral accusations that emerged from the report. In total, 20 countries in addition to the EU actively stood up for Israel, in what is considered a significant diplomatic achievement. "This is a turning point in the United Nations," said D. Hillel Noir, CEO of UN Watch.

"Most of the countries that took the floor - from Latin America, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America - joined Israel's ambassador Gilad Erdan and strongly criticized the UN commission of inquiry for its blatant bias and anti-Semitism.

The chairman of the committee looked shocked, for 18 years I have not seen anything like this."

Members of the UN Commission of Inquiry against Israel. From right to left: Milon Kotari, Navi Pillay and Chris Siddothy, photo: Reuters

The report, which is spread over 28 pages, mentions Israel no less than 277 times - compared to zero mentions of the terrorist organization Hamas. Among other things, it accuses Israel of committing war crimes, states that the very settlement in the West Bank constitutes such a crime, and demands the intervention of the International Court of Justice.

The commission of inquiry, which was established following the events of Operation Wall Guardian, received a permanent mandate without an end date in order to investigate Israel's actions vis-à-vis the Palestinians. 

"We cannot ignore the fact that a serving member of the committee made anti-Semitic comments at the end of August, and disparaged the 'Jewish lobby,'" said the US representative at the hearing, Lisa Carty. "We categorically reject this statement, which in our view is scandalous and inappropriate.

We regret that the top leadership of the UN has not yet publicly denounced this disgusting statement, or asked the committee member who made it to resign." 

Ambassador Erdan, in the discussion of the report, presents a picture of the late Ido Avigal, who was killed by a Hamas rocket that hit his house during Operation "Guardian of the Walls", photo: no credit

Carty was referring to the words of committee member Milon Kothari, who claimed that social networks are "largely controlled by the Jewish lobby", and wondered why the UN allows Israel to continue to be a member of the organization. Kothari was later forced to apologize for his words. The Navi Pillai Committee refused to condemn his words.

Among the other countries that have backed Israel are the Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Uruguay, Guatemala, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.

"We are appalled by the recent anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments made by a member of the committee, they are unbecoming of the UN," the Hungarian representative said at the hearing. Representative Palau wondered why the three members of the committee were appointed to the position, given the "large number of directly anti-Israeli statements they made Both before the commission's work begins and during it."

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, strongly attacked the report's conclusions, saying that "the UN Human Rights Council did not choose the members of the investigative committee because of their qualifications, but because of their public and poisonous hatred of Israel.

They were elected precisely because they despise the Jewish state."

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