All members of the UN Commission of Inquiry into Israel's actions have resigned. This was announced today, July 15, by the press secretary of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Pascal Sim.
"(Chairman of the Commission) Navi Pillay sent a letter to the Chairman of the Human Rights Council on July 8, in which she notified him that she was resigning/resigning as a member of the commission of inquiry," Pascal Sim said.
In the letter, Pillay explains that he is leaving for health reasons. Sim added that two other members of the commission, Chris Sidoti and Milun Kothari, resigned on July 9 and 10, respectively, without explanation.
It should be recalled that this UN commission was established by the Human Rights Council in May 2021. It has a permanent and independent mandate that allows it to investigate violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed by all parties, both in the Palestinian territories and in Israel.
Israel has rejected the UN Commission of Inquiry since its creation in May 2021, calling it "biased" and refusing any cooperation. In June 2022, after the publication of its first report, the Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned it as a "biased court", and the Israeli ambassador to Geneva, Meirav Eilon Shahar, accused its members, especially Navi Pillay, of "anti-Israeli prejudices."
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington imposed sanctions on the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese because she allegedly tried to initiate criminal proceedings against American and Israeli citizens.