Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday wrote a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanding that the ongoing UN Commission Of Inquiry into Israel’s war crimes during Operation Guardian of Walls be disbanded.

The letter comes after one of the three commission members, Miloon Kothari, made antisemitic remarks about the “Jewish lobby” and even questioned Israel’s right to exist as part of the UN.

“I am writing to you to demand the immediate removal of all three members of the COI tasked with investigating Israel, and the disbanding of the Commission,” Lapid wrote.

“The COI has been fundamentally tainted by the publicly expressed prejudices of its leadership, who do not meet the basic standards of neutrality, independence, and impartiality required by the United Nations.”

“I recall your principled comments at a New York conference in 2017, that “a modern form of antisemitism is the denial of the right of the State of Israel to exist.” Furthermore, you pledged to take a stand “in the front line of the struggle against antisemitism and to make sure the United Nations is able to take all possible actions for antisemitism to be condemned, and if possible, eradicated from the face of the earth.” You stressed that “Israel needs to be treated as any other state with exactly the same rules.”

“Excellency, I call on you today to honor your word in this egregious case, to set the record straight. This cannot stand. Slurs about a “Jewish lobby” that acts to “control” the media, are reminiscent of the darkest days of modern history.”

“The fundamentally flawed nature of the COI has been widely discussed, and a group of 22 nations, led by the United States, issued a joint statement during the June HRC session expressing their deep concern about this. This latest shameful episode is a further example of its flawed and biased nature.”

“The fight against antisemitism cannot be waged with words alone, it requires action. This is the time for action; it is time to disband the Commission. From Mr. Kothari’s outrageous slurs to Ms. Pillay’s defense of the indefensible, this Commission does not just endorse antisemitism — it fuels it.”

“I therefore ask you to take all necessary measures to bring about the immediate resignation of Ms. Pillay and the other commissioners, and the disbanding of the
Commission.”

The UNHRC is fair and balanced.

Condemnations since it was founded:
0 🇨🇺 Cuba
0 🇸🇦 Saudi
0 🇨🇳 China
0 🇹🇷 Turkey
0 🏴‍☠️ Taliban
0 🇵🇰 Pakistan
0 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
1 🇷🇺 Russia
2 🇻🇪 Venezuela
11 🇪🇷 Eritrea
12 🇮🇷 Iran
14 🇧🇾 Belarus
15 🇰🇵 North Korea
27 🇲🇲 Myanmar
38 🇸🇾 Syria
99 🇮🇱 Israel

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) July 31, 2022

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)