US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley announced tonight the withdrawal of the United States from the UN Human Rights Council. The decision came as a response to the severe bias against Israel in the Council: "The Council is chronically anti-Israeli," Haley said in a speech.

The UN human rights commissioner, Zeid Raed al-Hussein, responded to the comments in the council's Twitter account, stating: "This is disappointing news, although not surprising. Given the current human rights situation in the world, the US should have increased its presence rather than quit. "

Lev HaOlam founder Attorney Nati Rom, who fights against the global boycott of Judea and Samaria, lists the recent steps taken by the Council and its Commissioner, and points out the systematic bias against Israel and even anti-Semitism:

"Commissioner Al-Hussein, family of the King of Jordan, issued reports whose sole purpose is to denounce the settlements and impose boycotts on Israel by various means," says Rom. "Whilst in Syria, hundreds of people were slaughtered, including children. All this coming after a report on the pace of construction for Jews in Judea and Samaria."

Rom also mentioned the "blacklist" prepared by the UN Human Rights Commissioner, in which he threatened companies operating in Judea and Samaria to be exposed to boycotts by organizations and countries around the world. Lev HaOlam wrote a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres demanding that the Commissioner be suspended from office. "If he continues to function as UN Human Rights Commissioner, it is superfluous to note that the UN Human Rights Council will lose its legitimacy in Israel and the world, which has recently been seen in light of criticism by the United States and other countries against the Council."

Atty. Nati Rom
Atty. Nati RomLev HaOlam

Rom also mentioned Al-Hussein's refusal to call the murderous shooting at the Sarona compound in Tel Aviv a terrorist attack and refused to condemn Hamas leaders celebrating the murder, as well as the despicable comparison between the Palestinians and Jews during the Holocaust.

Recently, the Council decided to establish a commission of inquiry against Israel following border fence riots at Gaza. Al-Hussein said in an emergency session that Israel violates the human rights of Palestinians, who are "imprisoned in poverty from birth to death".

"Instead of realizing the goals for which it was established, such as preventing violations in Africa, China, and the Arab countries, the UN Human Rights Council repeatedly chooses to harm the only democracy in the Middle East for purely because of anti-Semitic reasons," Rom said. "Instead of fighting terrorism and radical Islam, they choose to fight Israel again and again. We welcome the withdrawal of the United States from the Council and hope that other countries will do so."

United Nations Human Rights Council
United Nations Human Rights CouncilReuters