United Nations Commission Faces Obstruction from Israel in Human Rights Investigation
Members of a United Nations commission have spoken out about Israel’s obstruction of their efforts to investigate possible human rights violations on Oct. 7 and during the war between Israel and Hamas. Despite facing challenges, the commission has shared a significant amount of evidence with the International Criminal Court.
Chris Sidoti, one of the commission’s three members, expressed frustration at the lack of cooperation and active obstruction from Israeli authorities in obtaining evidence from witnesses and victims related to the Oct. 7 attack. Israel has accused the commission of bias and refused to cooperate, citing it as an “anti-Israeli, antisemitic body.”
The commission, established in 2021 to investigate human rights violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories, has not been allowed to visit the region. In January, Israeli medical personnel were instructed not to cooperate with the panel. Despite these challenges, the commission, led by former United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay, has shared over 5,000 documents with the ICC.
Ms. Pillay highlighted that the commission has investigated crimes committed by both Hamas and Israeli forces in Gaza. The ICC opened an investigation into potential crimes in Gaza and the West Bank in March 2021, but progress towards prosecutions has been slow, drawing criticism from some lawyers.
The commission is expected to report its findings on the Gaza conflict to the Human Rights Council in June and to the U.N. General Assembly in October. Ms. Pillay expressed hope for progress in the ICC investigations this year. The international community will be closely watching for developments in this ongoing investigation.
