[Opinion] Hope is nice, but demonization of Israel is unlikely to change
Professor Gerald M. Steinberg discusses NGO efforts to lobby the ICC.
Professor Gerald M. Steinberg discusses NGO efforts to lobby the ICC.
On February 25, 2020, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the bureaucratic arm of the Human Rights Council, presented an update on the 2019 Commission of Inquiry into the violence along the Israel-Gaza border. As with previous UN pseudo-investigations on Israel, this COI ignored legal standards and readily and publicly available information to accuse Israel of “war crimes” and other violations. The 2020 update continued to promote this false narrative and the biased HRC agenda.
HRW has played a central role in lobbying UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet and providing information to her office for use in compiling the list.
PCHR has multiple links to the PFLP terror organization, designated as such by the EU, the US, Canada, and Israel.
In deciding to pursue an investigation of Israel, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda met with a number of terror-tied organizations and groups promoting demonization campaigns targeting Israel. These non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are also cited in various ICC documents related to the investigation. It appears that Bensouda exclusively met and replied upon groups representing the Palestinian narrative, which is reflected in the significant bias in her analysis.
Professor Gerald M Steinberg analyzes the carious campaigns against Israel at the International Criminal Court.
In May 2019, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) published “2018 Impunity Remains: Attacks on Health Care in 23 Countries in Conflict” which painted Israel as the worst offender of attacks against health care in 2018. Closer inspection reveals a publication rife with faulty methodology, as well as reporting and selection bias that can be traced to highly partisan contributors
On May 4 and May 5, 2019, Palestinian terror groups in Gaza fired over 600 rockets and mortars toward Israeli population centers, murdering four Israeli civilians. NGOs and NGO officials that claim to promote human rights have ignored the blatant Palestinian violations against Israeli civilians. Some have remained silent altogether, while others have focused exclusively on demonizing Israel for responding to the attacks.
Although Palestinian officials are often portrayed as the initiators and leaders, in practice, the campaigns are largely led by officials of Western institutions, including powerful non-governmental organizations (NGOs) active in the areas of human rights, international law, peace, and other normative objectives.
NGO Monitor submitted the following information to the United Nations Human Rights Council for its Commission of Inquiry on the 2018 protests on the Gaza border.