Israel calls on UN rights body to scrap Gaza war commission, citing “institutional discrimination” – Firstpost

Israel has formally urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to disband a commission investigating rights violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories, accusing it of “institutional discrimination”.

In a letter seen by Reuters, Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, said The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, was biased in its approach and findings.

The commission has issued repeated condemnations of Israel’s military actions in Gaza since the war began following Hamas’s deadly attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel has regularly dismissed the body’s reports, alleging prejudice and double standards.

“The Commission of Inquiry, both in its mandate and in the work of its members, constitutes nothing less than a manifestation of the institutional discrimination against Israel in the Human Rights Council,” the letter stated.

The commission was created in May 2021 during a previous round of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. It is empowered to collect and preserve evidence that can be used in international legal proceedings, including at the International Criminal Court.

Council spokesperson Pascal Sim confirmed that the letter had been received by Council President Jurg Lauber. However, Sim clarified that Lauber does not have the authority to dismantle the commission. “That would be up to the Council’s 47 members,” Sim said.

In March, the commission accused Israel of having committed “genocidal acts” against Palestinians. The report drew a furious response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who denounced the findings as biased and antisemitic.

Israel formally disengaged from the Human Rights Council in February.

With inputs from Reuters