The Israeli ambassador to the UN condemned the Human Rights Council and PA head Abbas for hypocrisy and incitement against Israel.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Danny Danon denounced Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas for alleging that Israel was working to create an apartheid state.
During an address to the 34th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Monday, Abbas claimed that Israel was moving towards the creation of an apartheid state with the passing of a new law legalizing Israeli construction on allegedly private Palestinian land. He said the law “legitimizes the theft of occupied Palestinian lands.”
Abbas called on state members to defend a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to support a future Palestinian state.
“This solution must be protected from any attempt to withdraw from it it or simply disregard it,” he said, adding a warning against moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which US President Donald Trump had promised to do.
The Palestinian leader claimed that the PA, a known human rights abuser, was taking steps to improve the treatment of Palestinian women. He also said that his government had submitted reports aimed at improving the environment, eliminating corruption and increasing cultural diversity.
“Palestine will remain the litmus test of a human rights council,” he stated.
Abbas was the first of some 100 dignitaries to speak at the UNHRC session, which is expected to devote a large portion of the three-day event to criticizing Israel.
Danon blasted Abbas and the UNHRC for their “hypocrisy.”
“In the peak of hypocrisy, Abbas and the Human Rights Council have joined together in a campaign of incitement against Israel,” Danon charged. “It is no surprise that this Council, which has long been divorced from reality, has chosen once again to provide a platform for Palestinian smears against Israel.”
“It is time that Abbas and the Palestinian leadership understand that a new era has dawned at the UN in which speeches and one-sided initiatives against Israel will not succeed. The only way forward is through direct negotiations with Israel,” Danon concluded.
On Sunday, reports surfaced that the Trump administration was considering withdrawing from the UNHRC over its anti-Israel bias and its ineffectiveness.
