Conference of Presidents Condemns United Nations Commission of Inquiry Report on Israel

"Dianne Lob, Chair, and William Daroff, CEO, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement:

‘We strongly condemn the distorted and biased report released by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)’s Commission of Inquiry on Israel (COI), which was established in May 2021 in the wake of Israel’s defensive actions against Hamas terrorists, who launched over 4,000 rockets aimed at civilian targets.

‘The United Nations Human Rights Council and its Commission of Inquiry on Israel are a complete and utter farce. The 28-page report references Israel 277 times and not once names or even acknowledges the actions of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or the dozens of terrorist entities and terrorist proxy groups seeking the explicit destruction of Israel and death of the Jewish people. Further, it does not mention that these organizations fire rockets and deliberately target innocent civilians.

‘By never recognizing Israel’s right to defend herself in accordance with international law, as well as placing grossly disproportionate blame on Israel for supposedly perpetuating conflict, the UNHRC offers its seal of approval for bad actors wishing to enact further violence in the region. It is unfair and unsafe to minimize the threats facing Israel and to ignore the countless instances in which the Palestinian Authority has operated in bad faith at the negotiating table, particularly the ongoing support for ‘pay-for-slay’ schemes that promote the killing of Jews and Israelis for profit.

‘The UN has made little to no effort to hide its anti-Israel agenda, including its repeated failure to hold COI members accountable for malicious bias and antisemitism, firmly documented by years of quotes and writings. Just recently, COI member Miloon Kothari invoked dangerous antisemitic tropes during a media interview, where he singled-out Israel and questioned its legitimacy – while also spreading the age-old canard that Jews conspire to control the media. The resounding silence from the UN contributes to the despicable normalization of antisemitism and makes our community globally fundamentally less safe.

‘We strongly support Israel’s inalienable right to defend herself and call on the United States, President Biden, and all the nations of the world, to demand Israel receive fair treatment on the international stage and to disband the counter-productive and dangerous COI.’"