The United Nations’ longtime anti-Israel panel is crumbling after all three of its commissioners abruptly resigned this week, just days after the U.S. government imposed sanctions on a pro-Hamas investigator. The high-profile resignations underscore the blatant Israel bias that has long plagued the U.N.’s so-called “Independent Commission of Inquiry.”
Commission chair Navi Pillay and commissioners Miloon Kothari and Chris Sidoti all announced their exit, according to watchdog group U.N. Watch. Their departure comes on the heels of sanctions announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio against U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, citing her “illegitimate and shameful efforts” to weaponize the International Criminal Court against U.S. and Israeli officials.
Albanese had sent “threatening letters” to global companies demanding they sever ties with Israel—or face “potential criminal liability.” Her history includes minimizing Hamas terrorism, accusing Mossad of plotting ISIS attacks, and claiming the U.S. is “subjugated by the Jewish lobby.”
Supporters of Israel say the commission was rigged from the start. “The resignation of all three commissioners is long overdue,” said U.N. Watch executive director Hillel Neuer. “This was a commission born in prejudice—designed to target Israel, while ignoring Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Authority.”
Kothari once claimed social media is “controlled largely by the Jewish lobby,” while Pillay accused Israel of “apartheid.” Their departure marks a critical blow to the credibility of the anti-Israel apparatus at the U.N.
