Testimony at the UN

Special Sessions on Israel are the Regular Sessions

Oral Statement
UN Human Rights Council
3rd Special Session
November 15, 2006

Delivered by Hillel Neuer
Executive Director

Mr. President,

As of today this Council has now held more Special Sessions to denounce Israel than it has held Regular Sessions concerning everything else in the world.

Which raises the obvious question:  if the Special Sessions denouncing Israel are more regular than the Regular Sessions concerning everything else in the world, perhaps these definitions ought to be reversed—and the Special Sessions denouncing Israel become the Regular Sessions.

Reflection upon the actions of the one completed Regular Session, held in June, suggests, however, that this may not be so simple.

That Regular Session specially adopted only one resolution against a specific country, denouncing Israel alone out of all 192 UN member states.

Second, the Regular Session created a special, permanent agenda item to denounce Israel, for all future sessions.  This revived the notorious Agenda Item 8 from the old Commission, which was a major factor in what UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described as the "credibility deficit" that "cast a shadow on the reputation of the United Nations system as a whole."

Third, in the resolution renewing expert mandates, the Regular Session inserted a special footnote for the Special Rapporteur on Palestine—who openly admits that his instructions are to denounce Israel only—thereby making his mandate the only one with no express year of expiry.

And so, Mr. President, upon further reflection, it turns out that the only full Regular Session concerning everything else in the world was in practice and in effect a Special Session to denounce Israel.

This pattern will persist if too many democratic countries represented in this hall continue to show weakness of resolve in the face of an organized mischief that is both united and energetic; and if some continue to argue that today's subversion of the Council should be celebrated as testimony of its responsiveness, of “la capacité d’intervenir promptement en cas d’urgence.”

If all this continues, Mr. President, it will have turned out that, under our new definition, the Regular Sessions are in fact Regular Sessions after all.

Mr. President, today's resolution is entirely one-sided.  It ignores the systematic Palestinian firing of Kassam rockets from Gaza into Israel, which this morning killed 57-year-old Faina Slutzker, a resident of Sderot, as she was crossing the street with her husband.  Another victim lost both his legs in the barrage.

The countries who care to save this Council will vote "No."  Anything else will be interpreted as acquiescence to the destruction of this new body.

Thank You.