B’nai B’rith International held its annual leadership delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva last week, conducting meetings with high-ranking officials and presenting formal statements to the diplomatic body.

The multinational delegation, which was led by Senior Vice President Yves Kamami of France and B’nai B’rith International primary Geneva Representative Klaus Netter, met with numerous diplomats including new U.S. Ambassador to the UNHRC Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe. The meetings were convened to discuss the highly unbalanced report of the Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, also known as the Goldstone report; the anti-Israel permanent agenda item at the UNHRC; and the need for a special rapporteur on human rights violations in Iran. The discussions are a key part of ongoing efforts to defend Israel at the council.

Additionally, Netter delivered three statements at the council regarding Iran, the demonization of Israel, and some countries’ efforts to describe as “defamation of religion” various forms of speech that are critical or deemed blasphemous.

The statement on defamation of religion, delivered on March 15, reflects B’nai B’rith’s deep concerns regarding the routine resolutions on the topic at the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.

“On behalf of a community that profoundly values faith and the right to hold and practice it free of threat or abuse,” Netter read from his formal remarks on behalf of B’nai B’rith International and the Coordinating Board of Jewish Organizations, “[we] rise to appeal against repeated efforts to exploit the Human Rights Council in the name of preventing ‘defamation of religion’ in order to legitimize violations of the universal human right of freedom of expression.”

On March 16, B’nai B’rith reminded the council of the severity and urgency of the human rights situation in Iran—circumstances which necessitate that the UNHRC appoint a special rapporteur.

“The aftermath of the [Iranian] election last year has proven beyond a doubt the tyrannical nature of the Government in Iran,” the remarks read. “While the world watched, the Government brutally suppressed freedom of expression and peaceful protests. Those whom the regime broadly defined as members of the opposition were subject to arbitrary arrest and, in many cases, physical and psychological torture.”

The B’nai B’rith mission to Geneva was followed by a statement to the council on its singular anti-Israel fixation, delivered on March 22. Reading the remarks on behalf of B’nai B’rith and the Coordinating Board of Jewish Organizations, Netter referenced the “multitude of resolutions lambasting Israel, all of which will be adopted without difficulty by the well-organized majority dominating this Council.”

B’nai B’rith and the Coordinating Board of Jewish Organizations also requested “that the [General Assembly-mandated] 2011 review of this Council’s work be used to eliminate this egregious [anti-Israel] item from the permanent agenda” and called for the resignation of Richard Falk, the stridently partisan special rapporteur on the Palestinian issue, “in view of his obvious bias, which deprives his reports of any credibility.”

Click here to read the remarks on Iran.
Click here to read the remarks on defamation of religion.

Millions of Americans are on the cusp of having access to health insurance after the House of Representatives passed a health care reform bill on March 21.The momentous health care overhaul bill would give more than 30 million currently-uninsured Americans access to affordable medical care.

B’nai B’rith has a long-time special interest in issues important to seniors, particularly housing and health care. As the leading Jewish sponsor of supportive housing for seniors over the last 40 years we have seen the impact the lack of life-time access to health care has on people as they age. It is for that reason that we believe expanding access to health care for people of all ages is fundamental to achieving healthy aging for each generation.

As an advocate for America’s seniors, B’nai B’rith is committed to ensuring all Americans have the opportunity to stay healthy as they age. Life-long access to quality health care, which should include prevention, diagnostic, and maintenance of chronic conditions, will ensure everyone can age in good health.

“Increasing access to affordable, quality health care is the very cornerstone of our principles of health care reform,” B’nai B’rith International President Dennis W. Glick said. “The bill would create a voluntary, self-funded, long-term care insurance program, limit or eliminate discrimination based on age, gender and pre-existing condition and health status, and finally help pool risk in the non-employer job market—all of which would have a positive impact for so many Americans.”

The issue of health care reform has taken on a new urgency as the job market has been slow to recover from the nation’s fiscal crisis. It has been nearly impossible for most Americans to afford insurance on the individual market.

“This measure, while not perfect, addresses the top priority of health care reform—getting more people affordable access to care,” B’nai B’rith Director of Aging Policy Rachel Goldberg, Ph.D., said. “For far too long health care was often the domain of the well-off or the lucky.”

The bill passed by the House, parts of which must still be approved by the Senate, also improves Medicare's financial future without cutting into the program’s guaranteed benefits. By making the program more efficient and more geared toward paying for good outcomes, these changes could not only improve the Medicare program but serve as an example for the rest of the health care system.

B’nai B’rith International President Dennis W. Glick and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin sent a letter to the chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, expressing “deep dismay at the severe and persistent anti-Semitic harassment experienced by Jewish students at the University of California, Irvine.”The letter was sent following recent anti-Israel demonstrations at a campus appearance by Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, where students repeatedly disrupted his remarks. Such heated protests contribute to a persistent atmosphere of hatred and intimidation for Jewish students at the school.

B’nai B’rith also provided Chancellor Michael Drake a copy of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency’s working definition of anti-Semitism that has been in worldwide use since 2005, in the hope it will be used to help students and faculty better understand and identify all forms of anti-Semitism. B’nai B’rith helped develop this description as an essential tool for educators, government officials, journalists, and others to understand contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism.
B’nai B’rith International President Dennis W. Glick and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin sent a letter to the chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, expressing “deep dismay at the severe and persistent anti-Semitic harassment experienced by Jewish students at the University of California, Irvine.”The letter was sent following recent anti-Israel demonstrations at a campus appearance by Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, where students repeatedly disrupted his remarks. Such heated protests contribute to a persistent atmosphere of hatred and intimidation for Jewish students at the school.

B’nai B’rith also provided Chancellor Michael Drake a copy of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency’s working definition of anti-Semitism that has been in worldwide use since 2005, in the hope it will be used to help students and faculty better understand and identify all forms of anti-Semitism. B’nai B’rith helped develop this description as an essential tool for educators, government officials, journalists, and others to understand contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism.

The letter to the chancellor notes: “Sadly, the hate-filled demonstrations surrounding the appearance by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren at UCI on February 8 were merely recent examples of the anti-Semitic animus that has resulted in the intimidation of the school’s Jewish population for many years.”

And later: “Too often, anti-Israel messages propounded on the UCI campus have far exceeded the line separating legitimate policy criticism from anti-Semitic polemics. B’nai B’rith therefore calls on your administration to recognize these manifestations of anti-Semitism as precisely that and to condemn them as such.”

The letter asks the university to make combating the insidious anti-Semitism on campus a high priority.

“The university’s leadership must make clear that denial of the Jewish right to self-determination—to peace and security for Jews in their homeland—is, very simply, anti-Semitism. And to intimidate and incite against Jews—in speeches, sermons, placards, demonstrations, and publications—is most certainly anti-Semitism. We implore the UCI administration not to turn a blind eye to intolerance.”

Click here to read the entire letter.

The following remarks were presented by B’nai B’rith International primary Geneva Representative Klaus Netter at the United Nations Human Rights Council on behalf of B'nai B'rith International and the Coordinating Board of Jewish Organizations. The remarks were delivered during a discussion of urgent human rights situations requiring the Human Rights Council’s attention.

United Nations Human Rights Council - 13th Session
Item 4: Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention

Statement on behalf of the Coordinating Board of Jewish Organizations

Read by Klaus Netter, March 15, 2010

Mr. President:

Two years ago we stood before this Council and urged a re-examination of the decision to eliminate the 1503 procedure on Iran due to the ongoing violations of human rights in that country. Sadly, our request was not acted upon. In the meanwhile, the situation has further deteriorated, yet this Council chose not to discuss human rights violations in Iran until the UPR last month. We commend those countries which raised tough questions about the severe human rights violations in Iran, and therefore utilized the UPR for its stated purpose, namely, the objective review of that country’s human rights obligations and commitments.

We come before this Council again to renew our urgent request to initiate a special procedure that will examine violations of human rights in Iran. The aftermath of the election last year has proven beyond a doubt the tyrannical nature of the Government in Iran. While the world watched, the Government brutally suppressed freedom of expression and peaceful protests. Those whom the regime broadly defined as members of the opposition were subject to arbitrary arrest and, in many cases, physical and psychological torture.

Only a handful of countries still execute juvenile offenders, but of those that do, Iran has the highest numbers of executions by far. In Iran, capital punishment is meted out for homosexuality and apostasy. Members of the Baha’i leadership continue to be held in detention after their arrest in May 2008.

The systemic assault on the human dignity of Iran’s own citizens has continued unabated during this Council’s existence. Waiting until the next UPR to discuss Iran is not an acceptable option to the victims of this oppressive Government. This situation urgently requires a Special Rapporteur.

Thank you, Mr. President.

The European Parliament on March 10 endorsed the findings of the widely criticized Goldstone report, which accuses Israel of “war crimes” and other human rights violations during Israel’s defensive actions in the Gaza Strip, known as Operation Cast Lead, from December 2008 to January 2009. B’nai B’rith has issued the following statement:B’nai B’rith International is deeply disappointed that the European Parliament chose to accept the severely biased Goldstone report as a fair and accurate representation of the events in Gaza last year.

Initiated under a faulty and unjust premise laid out by the United Nations Human Rights Council, the commission members were told to examine Israel’s violations of various laws of war. Investigators began their work on the foundation that Israel was responsible for the conflict.

It is truly a shame the European Parliament was unable to recognize the inherent bias in the report and see the document for what it really is—yet another attempt by some in the international community to discredit and delegitimize Israel by holding the Jewish state to an entirely different set of rules than the rest of the world faces.

The report concluded Israel was mostly responsible for the conflict, while giving scant mention to Hamas terrorism and cynical use of civilians as human shields.

Though encouraging that 43 voters chose to abstain rather than join the unfair vote, the resolution still passed 335 to 287.

We must remember and be encouraged that the United States Congress deemed the report illegitimate.

B’nai B’rith International is dismayed that a policy dispute is now being used by some to undermine the storied relationship between the United States and Israel. And it would be deeply troubling if a momentary disagreement is used in any way to derail peace efforts, challenge an important alliance, or divert attention from the major objective of the trip—stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

B’nai B’rith International welcomes the decision of Royal Dutch Shell and other multinational firms to curtail business dealings with Iran.This week, Shell announced that it has not supplied gasoline to Iran since last year. B’nai B’rith International has long called for severe sanctions against the Iranian regime as a means to stop Iran from its quest to develop nuclear weapons. B’nai B’rith recently endorsed Senate actions that would deprive companies that provide gasoline to Iran access to funds from U.S. banks.

B’nai B’rith International President Dennis W. Glick said, “We welcome this action by a company of the international significance of Royal Dutch Shell. However, we note with concern that the company has not renounced nor disclosed whether it has other links to Iran. To be most effective, we urge Shell to sever all business ties to Iran.”

Published reports indicate that about 40 percent of the gasoline used for domestic purposes in Iran is imported. Denying access to refined petroleum products would put severe pressure on the Tehran regime and severely damage Iran’s economy.

B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said, “The greatest threat to the world comes from the development of Iranian nuclear weapons. While governmental sanctions are an essential tool to put pressure on Iran’s leaders, voluntary cessation of all trade is certainly welcomed since such action by the companies themselves can hasten the adoption by countries of sanctions against trade with Iran. We call upon other companies doing business with Iran to take the responsible step of ceasing such business.”

B’nai B’rith notes that several commodities traders such as Vitol Holdings, B.V.; Trafigura; and Glencore International, AG have also announced that they have stopped gasoline sales to Iran. Several other multinational companies, including Ingersoll Rand, Caterpillar, General Electric, Huntsman, and Siemens have also agreed to end their business contacts with Iran.