UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer addresses the UNHRC in Geneva. (UN Watch)
UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer addresses the UNHRC in Geneva. (UN Watch) 
Insta

“Where Are Your Jews?” UN Watch Asks Islamic Countries Rallying Against Israel At the UNHRC

BySwarajya Staff

Muslim countries, who accused Israel of committing human rights violations and practicing apartheid against Palestinian people, were given a taste of their own medicine at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) by a Geneva-based non-government organisation called UN Watch.

The NGO, participating in the debate where Arab countries aided by Pakistan accused the Jewish state of ethnic cleansing and crime against humanity, asked some tough questions to the council and these states.

UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, who was representing the organisation at the UNHRC, accused the Arab states of practicing apartheid against their non-Muslim population. Addressing the Arab countries as the ‘world’s worst abusers of human rights’, he said that the charges against Israel are absolutely false and even called them ‘Orwellian’ at one point.

He said that Arab Muslims living in Israel have the same rights as that the Jewish citizens do and serve in the country’s Parliament and the Supreme Court.

“Now I’d like to ask the members of that commission, that commissioned that report, the Arab states from which we just heard. Egypt, Iraq, and the others: How many Jews live in your countries? How many Jews live in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco? Once upon a time, the Middle East was full of Jews,” he said.

“Algeria had 140,000 Jews. Algeria, where are your Jews? Egypt used to have 75,000 Jews. Where are your Jews? Syria, you had tens of thousands of Jews. Where are your Jews? Iraq, you had over 135,000 Jews. Where are your Jews?”, he asked the Arab states accusing Israel of ‘Judaizing Jerusalem’.

Moving further, the representative asked the President of the UNHRC as to why an agenda item that singles out Israel and givers the ‘notorious’ Arab states an opportunity to attack the country was allowed by the council.

“Where is the apartheid, Mr. President?,” the representative asked sarcastically.