Headlines
Israel demands UN scrap investigation body for Palestinian territories
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 17, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 17, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Israel urges the UN to end its investigation into Palestinian territories, accusing the commission of bias and discrimination against Israel.
By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA (Reuters) -Israel has demanded the U.N. Human Rights Council scrap a commission investigating rights violations in the Palestinian territories and Israel, accusing the body of bias, in a letter seen by Reuters.
In the message sent on Wednesday, Israel's ambassador to the UN, Daniel Meron, said The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, discriminated against his country.
Israel has regularly criticised findings by the U.N.-mandated commission, which has condemned actions by the Israeli military since it launched its offensive on Gaza following the deadly attacks by Hamas militants in October 7, 2023.
The commission - established in May 2021 by the Human Rights Council during earlier hostilities between Israel and Hamas - can provide evidence used in pre-trial investigations by tribunals such as the International Criminal Court.
"The Commission of Inquiry, both in its mandate and in the work of its members, constitutes nothing less than a manifestation of the institutional discrimination against Israel in the Human Rights Council," read the letter.
Council President Jurg Lauber Lauber had received the letter but had no authority to abolish the commission, Council spokesperson Pascal Sim said. That would be up to the Council's 47 members, Sim added.
In March a report by the commission said that Israel had carried out "genocidal acts" against Palestinians.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the report's findings biased and antisemitic.
Israel disengaged from the Human Rights Council in February.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Israel demanded that the U.N. Human Rights Council scrap a commission investigating rights violations in the Palestinian territories, accusing it of bias.
Israel has regularly criticized the findings of the U.N.-mandated commission, particularly condemning actions by the Israeli military.
A report by the commission stated that Israel had carried out 'genocidal acts' against Palestinians, which Israel's Prime Minister called biased and antisemitic.
The commission was established in May 2021 by the Human Rights Council during earlier hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
The commission can provide evidence used in pre-trial investigations by tribunals, such as the International Criminal Court.
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