Mike Wagenheim
JNS, Oct. 28, 2022
“Pillay said there should be no complaints about the open-ended nature of the COI, since the ”occupation” is “permanent, as well.” The report presented Thursday blamed only Israel for the state of the conflict. Hamas has been mentioned only once in the first two reports combined.”
A number of United Nations member states came to Israel’s defense on Thursday as a controversial U.N. Commission of Inquiry presented its second report to the body.
Several states condemned the commission, mandated to investigate any and all aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since its roots, for both its bias and an anti-Semitic remark made recently by one of its members.
In an interview with an anti-Israel website this summer, COI member Miloon Kothari alleged that social media was controlled by the “Jewish lobby.” He would later issue an apology for that remark, along with a comment in the same interview questioning whether Israel should be allowed to hold U.N. membership.
“We cannot ignore the fact that a current member of the commission made antisemitic comments in late August, referring disparagingly to the ‘Jewish lobby,’” U.S. envoy to the U.N. General Assembly Lisa Carty told the General Assembly’s Third Committee, where Thursday’s discussion was held.
“We categorically reject this statement, which we deem to be outrageous, inappropriate and corrosive,” Caty said. “We regret that senior U.N. leadership has still not publicly repudiated these repugnant statements or asked this commission member to step down.” … Source