“It is beyond absurd that the only country that has a standing place on the Human Rights Council’s agenda is not Syria, not North Korea, and not Iran, but Israel”
As Richard Falk, a Jew and a US law professor, leaves his job as the special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, he is the subject of great criticism by the Jewish community and by the US government.
Falk told a news conference as recently that Israeli policies bore “unacceptable characteristics of colonialism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing. While many American Jews also criticize Israel, Falk’s statement go much further. up” by U.S. authorities over the September 11 attacks. Last year he suggested the Boston Marathon bombings were a response to U.S. foreign policy.
In a statement to Reuters, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power condemned “Falk’s relentless anti-Israeli bias, his noxious and outrageous perpetuation of 9/11 conspiracy theories. His publication of bizarre and insulting material has tarnished the UN’s reputation and undermined the effectiveness of the Human Rights Council.” “It is beyond absurd that the only country that has a standing place on the Human Rights Council’s agenda is not Syria, not North Korea, and not Iran, but Israel,” she said.
“My role of trying to speak honestly about the situation that Palestinians are facing under this condition of prolonged occupation generates this sort of reaction that tries to paint anti-Israeli criticism as a form of anti-Semitism,” Falk said.