B’nai B’rith International condemns United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay for her comments questioning the legality of Israel’s ongoing campaign against Hamas. On July 11, Pillay expressed her doubts that Israel is operating in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
Pillay’s claims are exactly opposite of what is occurring on the ground. Since Hamas renewed its campaign against Israel, it has launched more than one thousand rockets at the Jewish state. Israel—like any nation defending its sovereignty—is acting purely in self-defense and is targeting terrorist installations.
This is not the first time that Pillay has issued biased statements relating to Israel. Instead of speaking out against Hamas’ grotesque use of civilians as shields, or its insistence that Israel be wiped off the Earth, Pillay’s comments only further reinforce the United Nations’ obsessive focus on criticizing the only democracy in the Middle East.