U.S. Calls on Radical Rapporteur Richard Falk to Resign
The American representative to the Human Rights Council called on Richard Falk to resign from his position as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied since 1967
Ambassador Eileen Donahoe asserted in an online statement,
I am registering a strong protest with the UN on behalf of the United States. The United States has often been critical of Mr. Falk’s approach to his mandate, including his one-sided and politicized view of situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. We hope that he will resign, recognizing that his continued status as a UN mandate holder is a blight on the UN system.
The United States is deeply committed to the cause of human rights. Mr. Falk’s continued offensive postings and biased reporting does nothing to further the human rights of Palestinians or Israelis, nor anything to advance peace in the region.
The call for Falk’s resignation comes after he posted (and subsequently removed) a cartoon showing an American Jewish dog devouring a corpse and pissing on a Lady Justice.
Falk, who endorses 9/11 conspiracy theories, was appointed to his position by the widely criticized UN Human Rights Council after compiling a record of virulent anti-Israel statements, including one comparing Israel to the Nazis.
This is hardly the first time Falk has been criticized.
He has been condemned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Britain has described his output as “unbalanced.” Former US Ambassador John Bolton said in 2008 that Falk “was picked for a reason, and the reason is not to have an objective assessment — the objective is to find more ammunition to go after Israel.” And UN Watch has described him as “a serial offender with zero credibility.”
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