Some 1,000 participants from a dozen countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, gathered in Geneva on Monday to express their support for Israel, as the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held a discussion on the UN report which accused Israel of committing “war crimes” during the 2014 Gaza conflict.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Tom Gal, the representative for the World Jewish Congress (WJC) to Geneva, said that the public who passed the protest on the street were generally positive and “it was nice to see that. It was nice to see such support and such great appreciation of the work that we’ve been doing.”
The atmosphere at the rally, she continued, was good and “very positive”.
“There was an understanding that we stand there to support the State of Israel. It was not to discriminate or bash anyone. It was really to show the UN, to show the world, that something is absurd, that this is nonsense - singling out just one state,” said Gal.
Protesting the UNHRC’s attitude against Israel is “not a lost cause,” she continued. “We, as NGOs, have a role, and that is to present reality as it is. The World Jewish Congress takes this stand because we believe that we can change it or affect it, or make it be a bit more balanced. Someone needs to hear that there is another side to the story.”