Former Gaza Inquiry Head Schabas Admits ‘Distortion’ in UN Focus on Israel
by JNS.org
JNS.org – William Schabas, the former head of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) investigation into Israel’s summer 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, acknowledged in an interview with the BBC that a “distortion” exists in how much attention the UNHRC devotes to Israel, though he insisted that the Jewish state is not treated harshly by the UNHRC.
“There is a distortion in the amount of attention given against Israel, and the number of resolutions directed against Israel,” Schabas said Tuesday, according to the Jerusalem Post, which cited theBBC interview. At the same time, Schabas claimed Israel gets a “soft ride in the Security Council hearings.”
Schabas also criticized the actions of the Hamas terrorist group during last summer’s war. “I’ve always said that rocket attacks against Israel would lead to persecution in the criminal court,” he said.
In February, Schabas resigned from his position as head of the U.N. inquiry amid controversies surrounding both his history of anti-Israel statements and a conflict of interest stemming from work he had performed for the Palestine Liberation Organization.
A vocal critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Schabas reiterated that stance in the BBCinterview when he was asked which Western leader should be judged by the International Criminal Court.
“My favorite would be Netanyahu in the dock,” he said. “I’ve spent my career not just attacking Netanyahu, but also several others. That’s what I do. That’s my career.”