UN Human Rights Council investigator stands by Israel-Nazi comments

posted at 9:00 am on April 8, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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As if anyone needed further confirmation of the UN’s hostility to Israel, the investigator for the Human Rights Council assigned to observe Israel stands by his comments that equated the Israelis with the Nazis. Professor Richard Falk accepted his assignment from the UN-HRC and its constituent members, such as Cuba, China, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, by comparing the Israeli policy towards Gaza to the conduct of the Nazis and predicting a Palestinian Holocaust:

The next UN investigator into Israel conduct in the occupied territories has stood by comments comparing Israeli actions in Gaza to those of the Nazis.

Speaking to the BBC, Professor Richard Falk said he believed that up to now Israel had been successful in avoiding the criticism that it was due.

Professor Falk is scheduled to take up his post for the UN Human Rights Council later in the year.

But Israel wants his mandate changed to probe Palestinian actions as well.

Israel has threatened to revoke Falk’s status unless the UN-HRC assigns someone to investigate the Palestinian actions against Israel with the same fervor of their continuing jeremiad against Israel. The UN appears completely disinterested in hearing about the thousands of rockets that Gazans have launched into civilian population centers like Sderot and Ashkelon ever since the Israelis pulled out of Gaza. They want to investigate the response rather than the provocation, an intellectually indefensible position anywhere outside of Turtle Bay.

Gaza has been taken over by terrorists who use the territory as a launching pad for acts of war. What would Falk suggest — that Israel provide them with better targeting systems? When Gazans act to remove Hamas from leadership and end the attacks, then Israel will stop responding to their provocations. Hamas got elected into power initially; calling retaliation for terrorist strikes and acts of war “collective punishment” — Falk’s main argument — is akin to saying that the invasion of Germany was collective punishment for isolated actions by the Nazis, to borrow Falk’s historically illiterate analogy.

The UN-HRC has become the same kind of joke that its predecessor organization was before its termination. It serves as a council of human-rights abusers who manipulate their position to pursue their national interests in tormenting Israel. That keeps the spotlight off of them and meanwhile provides opportunities to pander to Arab nations in the region. These same nations conduct much worse abuses against their own peoples with far less provocation, and can confidently continue knowing that people like Falk will assist in keeping the UN from reporting it.

Falk writes about his disgust with the Israelis rather effectively. Perhaps he can explain that disgust in terms of his new assignment as lackey for Cuba, China, and Saudi Arabia. Joseph Stalin talked about the need for useful idiots, and he had people like Falk in mind.

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