UN Watch Decries Discriminatory Treatment of Israel at UN Commission on Human Rights Session

American Jewish Committee
Tuesday, 2 April 2002

UN Watch Executive Director Andrew Srulevitch today sharply criticized the UN Commission on Human Rights for blatant discrimination against Israel. UN Watch is the American Jewish Committee's Geneva office.

"This Commission pays 30 times more attention to the Arab-Israeli conflict than to other conflicts in the world, to the detriment of other pressing situations," said Mr. Srulevitch in testimony before the Commission.

The Commission's annual agenda divides the world into two, with Israel constituting a separate agenda item – Item 8 – and the rest of the world coming under another heading – Item 9.

"The American Jewish Committee condemns the flagrant bias against Israel created by this separate agenda item," said Mr. Srulevitch. "Israel should be examined under Agenda Item 9, like every other state."

Mr. Srulevitch suggested that the Commission, if it is concerned about the most sacred of human rights, the right to life, should devote more time to the pandemic of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.

"To spend two days criticizing Israel and perhaps two hours on AIDS demonstrates that this Commission has strayed from its purpose," said Mr. Srulevitch.

"Over 2.3 million Africans died from AIDS in 2001 and another 28 million are living with AIDS," said Mr. Srulevitch. By comparison over the last 18 months, violence in the Middle East has claimed almost 1500 Israeli and Palestinian lives.

Mr. Srulevitch reminded the Commission that at last year's session five of the 16 resolutions adopted condemned Israel, while 11 other situations were addressed with one resolution each.

"Even using the Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian maximalist figures for the effected populations, the five anti-Israel resolutions address the human rights of 3.5 million people, while the combined effected populations for the other 11 situations are 315 million," Mr. Srulevtich told the Commission.

The AJC called upon the Commission to rectify the injustice of discriminating against Israel by treating it separately.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org