BRUSSELS – In a letter addressed to Ambassador Jürg Lauber, president of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Maram Stern, executive vice president of the World Jewish Congress, raised concern about the deeply misguided “Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory” and in light of the antisemitic comments made by a recently-resigned Council member, Mr. Miloon Kothari, Stern warned against appointing future members with a similar anti-Israel bias.
Stern’s letter comes after all three members of the Commission of Inquiry resigned earlier this month, and calls on Amb. Lauber to use his appointments to guard against antisemitism. Stern cites the antisemitic comments of recently-resigned Council member Mr. Miloon Kothari about the “Jewish lobby” as evidence of the hostile environment of the Commission and the importance of a course correction.
In the letter, which can be read in full here, Stern said, "We are writing to you with regards to the ‘Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory,’ whose mandate, structure and composition remain of serious concern and do not sufficiently meet the essential standards of impartiality, fairness, and credibility essential to the Council’s reputation and effectiveness." The letter calls on the Council to uphold standards of fairness and credibility, and to take decisive steps to address and prevent systemic bias against Israel within its mechanisms.
Stern concludes by urging that “future appointments to the Commission be made with particular care to avoid perpetuating or deepening existing concerns regarding antisemitism or bias against Israel.”
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