The lawsuit currently underway at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, following the lawsuit of South Africa, a country of which I serve as chief rabbi, reveals once again the duplicitousness, hypocrisy and unreliability of the UN and its institutions. In recent years, these have become a real threat to freedom and democracy in the world.
With the participation of the families of the abductees: the solidarity march with Israel outside the ICC in The Hague \\ Foreign Ministry
South Africa's lawsuit in The Hague against Israel is an excellent example of this phenomenon: UN institutions are repeatedly exploited by non-democratic societies to advance goals that threaten freedom, peace and prosperity in the world. For example, of the 193 members of the UN General Assembly, only 84 are rated as "free" members. Moreover, of the 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council, only 13 countries are completely free economically and politically.
Rabbi Dr. Zeev (Warren) Goldstein,
How is it possible that the UN's supreme human rights body is dominated by countries that do not respect human rights? Many UN resolutions are passed by a simple majority. What does this say about the quality and integrity of these decisions – if these majority blocs are largely made up of autocratic regimes? What does it say about the UN, as a defender of human rights and international justice, if most of its members do not recognize the values of democracy or liberty, or human rights in general?
The question is particularly troubling given that in the eyes of most members of the UN General Assembly, the values and freedoms of democratic societies are seen as a threat. And this majority, together with the UN Security Council, appoints the judges who sit on the International Court of Justice – the body that hears the case currently being conducted against Israel.
The debate in The Hague. South Africa sues Israel for violating the UN Convention on the Prevention of Genocide, Photo: AP
In my doctoral dissertation on human rights and constitutional law, I examined how the process of appointing judges affects the administration of justice, among other things according to the Bible in the book of Exodus, and the way in which Moshe Rabbeinu appointed Israel's judges in light of the famous edict – "Justice, justice shall be pursued." The UN's anti-Israel bias, and its obsession with the world's only Jewish state and the only free democracy in the Middle East, make this point clear.
For example, every year the UN General Assembly passes resolutions condemning Israel more than the rest of the world combined. In 2022, for example, 15 resolutions were passed against Israel, and not a single resolution on the human rights situation in China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Turkey, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Qatar, Vietnam, Algeria. In contrast, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Myanmar each received only one condemnation.
For example, Israel is the only country in the world that is a regular item on the agenda of the UN Human Rights Council; And during its 17 years, the council passed 103 resolutions condemning Israel, compared with zero for countries accused of genuine human rights violations such as China, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Thus, for example, among the judges of the International Court of Justice hearing this case, one is a representative of the serial human rights violator, China, and another is a representative of Lebanon, where Hezbollah, an Iranian mercenary and fighter in the current war against Israel, is a key member of the government.
This is the theater of the absurd – where a democracy like Israel can face the International Court of Justice on charges related to its war on jihadist terrorism vital to its national security – terrorism financed and supported by countries like Iran, with the stated intention of fighting the West and destroying the values on which free democracies are built.
Rabbi Dr. Zeev (Warren) Goldstein, Photo: None
This is a ridiculous situation. Israel has no chance of a fair trial. It must withdraw from the process and refrain from taking part in the ICC circus. When David Ben-Gurion agreed in 1948 that Israel would accede to the Geneva Conventions, it was not with the understanding that the UN would become a sewer of anti-Semitism, distorting the "genocide" clause in order to put Israel's right to self-defense on trial in the midst of a multi-front war for survival. The UN's gross bias against Israel puts it in violation of the agreements signed with the establishment of the Jewish state to accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to hear its actions. This is the time, I believe, to move away from this dangerous farce.
About 1,800 years ago, in the ancient eternal capital of the Jews, the greatest sages of the Talmud explained that without justice and truth there is no peace. Israel must therefore stand firm against the threats of the UN and its international tribunal. Israel must stand firm in the name of justice and truth, for as the prophet Isaiah said, "Zion in judgment will be redeemed." The road to peace begins with true justice.
The writer is the Chief Rabbi of South Africa and a Doctor of Constitutional Law.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us