SWC Urges U.S. and Other Democracies to Cut Monies for UN Human Rights Council Until Witch-Hunt Targeting Israel is Halted

February 8, 2022

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) joined with 40 major Jewish organizations to denounce a new Commission of Inquiry created by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that exclusively targets Israel.

 

The unprecedented joint letter from 40 diverse Jewish groups sent to U.N Secretary-General António Guterres and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michele Bachelet denounces the unfair makeup and scope of the new inquiry commission, and the unprecedented authority and funding granted to it to scrutinize the only Jewish state in the world.

 

“Indeed, no other country has been subjected to such scrutiny and systemic bias by the UN’s human rights organ, stated the joint letter coordinated by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

 

“To be clear, this newly-funded commission of inquiry with an open-ended mandate, inside and outside the Jewish state, has but one goal — demonizing and delegitimizing Israel,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, SWC’s Associate Dean and Eric Greenberg, SWC’s Director of United Nations Relations and Strategic Partnerships. “This witch-hunt weaponizes diplomacy and makes a mockery of justice. Meanwhile, the worst human rights-crushing regimes in China, North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela, rest easier knowing that their horrific policies will yet again escape serious sustained scrutiny at the UN.

“The Wiesenthal Center will be urging the United States and other democracies to deduct the budget of this sham commission from their financial contributions to the UNHRC unless and until this dangerous witch-hunt is halted,” they said.  

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is a fully accredited NGO at the United Nations and UNESCO.

The inquiry commission was established following the Israel-Hamas conflict in May 2021 when the terrorist Hamas attacked Israeli civilians with more than 4,300 rockets and mortars fired from densely populated residential neighborhoods in Gaza.”

 

The joint letter pointed out that UN Resolution S-30/1, which created the inquiry commission, failed to even mention Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel, or acknowledge that 680 of its rockets landed in Gaza, maiming and killing Arab women and children.

The joint letter also noted that the three members appointed to the inquiry commission by the UN Human Rights Council’s President have all publicly demonstrated bias towards Israel in the past. 

The letter strongly urges UN Secretary-General Guterres to “Use your authority to ensure that the Commission does not present a report that will unfairly criticize Israel – the only democracy in the Middle East.”     

For further information contact the Center’s Communications department at pressinquiries@wiesenthal.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).