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Disregarding Revelation of Hamas Rockets in Another U.N. School in Gaza, Non-Democracies Force Unprecedented 7th UNHRC Special Session on Israel

B’nai B’rith International condemns the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for having concluded yet another “special session” on Israel with the adoption of a resolution that—not sufficing with unimaginable one-sidedness in its condemnations and its narrative of hostilities between Israel and Hamas—institutes a new international probe to rubber stamp its own outrageous indictments of Israel alone. B’nai B’rith salutes the principled leadership of the United States in casting a lone vote against the resolution, and is deeply disappointed in European states’ decision to merely abstain on the text.

The resolution is replete with obscene, politically motivated attacks against Israel, even going out of its way to denounce Israel’s defensive barrier in the West Bank, a non-lethal measure that has saved countless Israeli and Palestinian lives and is unconnected to current fighting in Israel and Gaza. The resolution goes on to make the patently absurd point that Gaza’s situation will be unsustainable “as long as it remains geographically … separated from the West Bank.”

Most damagingly, the resolution launches yet another “independent, international commission of inquiry” to “identify” and hold “accountable” those responsible for “crimes” perpetrated in the Palestinian territories alone. It does not once mention Hamas, but does recommend the convening of state parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, in order to further malign and isolate Israel.

On the eve of today’s special session, B’nai B’rith International directed urgent advocacy efforts at members of the body. At the meeting itself, B’nai B’rith delivered a public intervention, which can be read here.

“We knew that a Human Rights Council special session would be another chance for the most disreputable members of the international community to pile on Israel, even as that beleaguered democracy struggles to defend its people against Palestinian terrorists who reject the very concept of peace,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “This is the seventh time a special session has been called to discuss Israel—more than any other nation. It’s time for this to stop.”

Among those who urged the discriminatory session were Algeria, China, Cuba, Indonesia, Kuwait, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Countries joining to vote in favor of the reckless anti-Israel resolution included Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, India, Kenya and Mexico. During an open discussion, both Cuba and Pakistan opined that Israel was guilty of “genocide.”

At the same time, many of these and other countries have remained stunningly silent on Palestinian terrorists’ use of civilians as shields for efforts to murder and harm Israelis. This silence has even persisted following the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) second uncovering of terrorist rockets in one of its Gaza schools, which UNRWA again said was “vacant” despite having previously tweeted that all UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip were being depended upon for shelter by Palestinian civilians.

“B’nai B’rith renews its demand for a decisive U.N. response to Hamas atrocities and for transparency on whether or not UNRWA has allowed rockets to return to the hands of Palestinian terrorists,” B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said. “We’ll continue to press this issue until UNRWA explains its procedures and we have assurance that the U.N. will not be complicit in terrorist endangerment of Israeli and Palestinian civilians.”