The insanity of political naivete

• Author: Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
• Published date: 01 March 2021
• Date: 01 March 2021

According to its official description, the United Nations Human Rights Council, or UNHRC, is an inter-governmental body made up of 47 nations responsible for the protection of human rights around the globe. But the UNHRC's primary focus is Israel—its February 2021 report titled "Agenda Item 7: Country Claims and United Nations Watch Responses" highlights the usual far-fetched accusations of occupation and apartheid issued by such pillars of justice as Iran, Syria, North Korea, Pakistan, Cuba, Libya, and the Palestinian Authority and charge the Jewish state.

Secretary of State Blinken's aspirations, while noble, are completely unrealistic given the history of the UNHRC and the makeup of many of its member states.

The latest installment of these fingers-pointed-against-Israel charges consists of a revamped version of old blood libel: blaming Israel Covid-19 in the Palestinian Authority. The UNHRC goes out of its way to ignore human rights abuses perpetrated by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Syria, North Korea, or the Palestinian Authority; there is no condemnation of human rights abuses s in Libya or Eritrea.

The UNHRC has a historic rap sheet of anti-Israel and antisemitic bias. In June 2020, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder issued a stinging condemnation of the UNHRC and its malignant obsession in attacking Israel. "As usual, little mention was made of violations committed by the terrorist group Hamas, such as the firing of rockets against Israeli civilians, or transgressions committed by the Palestinian Authority," Lauder said. "Rather, the Council continued its long, one-sided anti-Israel tirade, without any regard for the real facts on the ground."

The latest UNHRC report—like much of its work—is so biased that most Western countries have rejected the Item 7 debate and refused to participate in any of its discussions.

Shortly after the UNHRC was created in 2006, replacing the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, John Bolton, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, convinced President George W. Bush not to join the council specifically for its anti-Israel bias. But the Obama administration rejoined the UNHRC, claiming that it was wiser tactically for the United States to protect Israel if it was doing so on the inside, as a member state. It was naïve wishful thinking.

The Trump administration would have none of this logic. Against American objections, countries with long histories of human rights abuses who were guilty of voluminous...