ACLJ Defending Israel at the United Nations From Blatantly False and Baseless Legal Attacks

We are once again at the United Nations defending our ally—the State of Israel. About every five years, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) reviews each U.N. Member State’s human rights record under a mechanism called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). In addition, every year the UNHRC meets several times, passes resolutions, and makes recommendations regarding human rights violations in different countries.

Outrageously, instead of addressing the actual human rights violations in many parts of the world, much of the Council’s efforts are directed toward demonizing Israel. At least one-third of the resolutions the HRC passes condemn Israel for alleged “human rights violations.” No other country is subjected to such scrutiny and condemnation.

For instance, hundreds of Christians are killed every year by Boko Haram and the Fulani militants in Nigeria without any provocation by the Christian community and without UNHRC condemnation; Iran punishes people for simply exercising their faith with no condemnation; scores of Christians are attacked, murdered, and raped by Hindu mobs in India with no condemnation; and the treatment of Uyghurs in China is no secret—once again, without any UNHRC condemnation. At the U.N., none of these countries is subjected to the kind of resolutions, special sessions, and commissions of inquiry that Israel is subjected to routinely.

Even worse, despite being a non-judicial body, the so-called “Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel” makes legal (albeit erroneous) conclusions against Israel, and unsuspecting people around the world believe such politically motivated rhetoric.

This year, Israel’s UPR report is under discussion at the upcoming session of the HRC. Not only did we file a UPR report as one of the only filers defending Israel’s human rights record, but we have also just filed a new written legal submission with the HRC, further setting the record straight.

Due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel is often falsely accused of discriminating against its Arab population, which is racially and religiously identical to the Arab population in Judea and Samaria (the so-called West Bank) and the Gaza Strip. Arab groups, such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, are engaged in ongoing hostilities with Israel and launch thousands of indiscriminate attacks against Israeli civilian population centers. Each indiscriminate attack constitutes a war crime. These armed jihadist groups also use their own Arab (aka Palestinian) brothers and sisters as human shields—each instance likewise constitutes a war crime. When Israel responds to such attacks to defend its territory and civilians—which is not just a right but also a duty—Israel’s responses do not constitute a crime, let alone a war crime. Nonetheless, Israel is categorically condemned and falsely accused of committing war crimes.

Because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and in order to politically isolate and demonize Israel, anti-Israel individuals and groups not only falsely accuse Israel of discriminating against its Arab citizens, but they also go further and outlandishly and despicably accuse Israel of being an apartheid state. Being an apartheid state is one of the most despicable charges that can be levied against any country, which is why Israel’s enemies do so against Israel. Based on how Israel treats its Arab citizens, such a charge is ludicrous on its face. 

In light of the charges, one should, in fact, examine how Israel treats its Arab population. The report that we just filed with the U.N. provides answers to this question, revealing the absolute hypocrisy in condemning Israel when Israel treats its Arab citizens (a minority comprising about 20% of Israel’s population) exactly like it treats its Jewish citizens and far better than any other country in the Middle East treats its minorities.

Our submission to the HRC notes, among other things:

Despite the lack of recognition and in the face of contrary, false information disseminated by Israel’s enemies, Israel’s Arab citizens actually receive substantial benefits from the Israeli government. Israel continues to make considerable efforts and invests resources in raising the socioeconomic status of its Arab population.

In 2022, for example, Israel launched a seventy-million-dollar program to integrate both Arab men and women into the high-tech industry. . . .

On a much larger scale, in 2021, Israel planned to allocate over ten billion dollars for its Arab communities for their education, economic development, health, and crime-fighting. This program includes giving money for “housing, local government, the environment and improving digital communication.” As part of this funding, the government is also addressing the needs of “ageing infrastructure” in Arab communities. It is also assisting Israeli-Arab women with entering the job market and improving their health.

These are just a few among the other benefits that Israel provides to its Arab population. Yet, as our U.N. report notes:

The international community continues to disregard the existence of the rule of law in Israel. UN bodies continue to wrongly condemn Israel without having any basis in law or fact. They disregard Israeli law that provides full and equal rights to all citizens. They disregard the equal treatment Israel provides to its Arab population and other minorities. They unjustly disregard Israel’s efforts to uplift the socioeconomic status of its Arab population.

While others wrongfully condemn Israel, our report commends Israel for its stellar human rights record and for upholding the rule of law both domestically and in the international realm. We also noted that:

The international community has a moral and legal responsibility not to single out one country for detrimental treatment, reject false information and false accusations against Israel, and recognize the efforts and progress Israel has made in uplifting its Arab population, despite the misinformation and criticism it receives.

We will continue to fight for Israel. We hope that individuals and groups seek out the truth for themselves instead of blindly trusting the so-called “independent” commissions of inquiry and the biased individuals on such commissions.