TEL AVIV – The head of a watchdog organization slammed Arab states at a UN Human Rights Council meeting for their “Orwellian” and “false” claims of Israeli “apartheid” while Arab nations have practiced apartheid against Jews for decades.
“Everything we just heard — from the world’s worst abusers of human rights, of women’s rights, of freedom of religion, of the press, of assembly, of speech — is absolutely false and, indeed, Orwellian,” Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based UN Watch, said.
“Israel’s 1.5 million Arabs, whatever challenges they face, enjoy full rights to vote and to be elected in the Knesset; they work as doctors and lawyers; they serve on the Supreme Court,” he pointed out.
He condemned the Arab nations and the Human Rights Council for not “considering Israelis to be deserving of human rights.”
Addressing the Arab representatives at the meeting, Neuer asked, “How many Jews live in your countries? How many Jews lived in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco?”
“Once upon a time, the Middle East was full of Jews. 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?”
“Mr. President, where is the apartheid?” Neuer added.
“Why is there a UN commission on the Middle East that does not include Israel? From the 1960s and the ‘70s they refuse to include Israel. Where is the apartheid, Mr. President? Mr. President, why are we meeting today on an agenda item singling out only one state, the Jewish state, for targeting.”
“Mr. President, where is the apartheid?” Neuer repeated.
By UN Watch’s account, when Neuer finished his condemnation, the UNHRC hall was silent.
Watch Neuer’s remarks below:
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