The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) cut off UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer as he was highlighting antisemitic social media posts from various United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Speaking virtually at the October 2 UNHRC session, Neuer cited UN Watch’s recent report about two UNRWA teachers in the Gaza Strip, one who posted an Adolf Hitler video to Facebook “with quotes to ‘enrich and enlighten your minds’” and another who posted “conspiracy theories” about Jews controlling the world, starting the COVID-19 pandemic aiming “to destroy Islam.” At that point, UNHRC President Nazhat Shameem Khan cut off Neuer’s video feed, accusing Neuer of making “insulting and inflammatory remarks.”
No joke: The U.N. Human Rights Council just cut me off for testifying about UNRWA teachers who glorify Hitler. Chair says I made "derogatory, insulting & inflammatory remarks"—by quoting their own Facebook posts. "This amounts to personal attacks. This statement is out of order." pic.twitter.com/qPXohSdOfW
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 3, 2021
In a series of tweets, Neuer called on Khan “to apologize and rescind your ruling” or else he will ask U.N. Secretary-General Antonio-Guterres to publicly state “that the highest human rights body of the United Nations has just sent a dangerous message to the world when, without any basis, you summarily and arbitrarily blocked me from presenting a report about systemic antisemitism incited daily by the teachers of UNRWA.”
Dear UNHRC President @NazhatsKhan,
On Friday you cut me off while presenting a report on UNRWA teachers' systemic antisemitism. You read out a prepared statement accusing me of "inflammatory remarks" and ruled me out of order.
I urge you to apologize and rescind your ruling. https://t.co/FrtZmERw0o
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 3, 2021
Otherwise, I will be calling on U.N. Secretary-General @AntonioGuterres to publicly declare:
1. That my quoting of antisemitic posts by UN teachers can in no way be characterized as "derogatory, insulting and inflammatory remarks" nor as "personal attacks."
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 3, 2021
2. That the highest human rights body of the United Nations has just sent a dangerous message to the world when, without any basis, you summarily and arbitrarily blocked me from presenting a report about systemic antisemitism incited daily by the teachers of UNRWA, a UN agency.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 3, 2021
3. That the United Nations reaffirms its unequivocal commitment to respecting Freedom of Speech as guaranteed under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and that it will support the work of non-governmental delegates in exposing and combating Antisemitism.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 3, 2021
In conclusion, Madam President, I urge you to uphold the basic human rights and anti-racism principles upon which the United Nations and your Human Rights Council were founded.
I attach:
(a) Our report on UNRWA that you prevented me from presenting: https://t.co/MjhgpT7zFi
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 3, 2021
Neuer also noted in a tweet that “Israel is the only nation treated as a standing item on the UNHRC agenda” and that “for three hours, tyrants vilified Israel” during Shabbat, when Israel was unable to defend itself in the forum.
Context:
1. Israel is the only nation treated as a standing item on the UNHRC agenda.
2. They held the debate on Shabbat evening, when Israel couldn't join if it wanted.
3. For three hours, tyrants vilified Israel.
4. When I spoke—about UNRWA antisemitism—they cut me off. https://t.co/FrtZmERw0o
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 3, 2021
StandWithUs Israel Executive Director Michael Dickson tweeted that the UNHRC “can’t handle the truth.”
They can’t handle the truth. https://t.co/OQuKq6qDuu
— Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) October 3, 2021
The Zionist Federation, a pro-Israel advocacy group in Britain and Ireland, tweeted, “Kudos to @HillelNeuer of @UNWatch for telling the truth. Disgraceful and entirely out of order that he was cut short by the @UN_HRC and reprimanded for simply stating the facts.”
Kudos to @HillelNeuer of @UNWatch for telling the truth.
Disgraceful and entirely out of order that he was cut short by the @UN_HRC and reprimanded for simply stating the facts. https://t.co/sP0pJg2kFd— Zionist Federation (@ZionistFed) October 3, 2021
Joel M. Petlin, Superintendent of the Kiryas Joel District, tweeted: “So according to @UN_HRC, it’s *derogatory, insulting and inflammatory* to call out the #Antisemitism expressed by teachers funded by @UNRWA, but it’s not a problem for these same teachers to praise Hitler on Facebook. It’s just the warped logic of the United Nations.”
So according to @UN_HRC, it's *derogatory, insulting and inflammatory* to call out the #Antisemitism expressed by teachers funded by @UNRWA, but it's not a problem for these same teachers to praise Hitler on Facebook.
It's just the warped logic of the United Nations.
— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) October 3, 2021
The August 2 UN Watch report, titled “Beyond the Textbooks,” documents 22 examples of UNRWA staffers promulgating antisemitism on social media. Neuer said in a statement at the time of the report’s publication: “We call on the governments that fund UNWRA to take action to stop the vicious cycle of generations being taught to hate and violently attack Jews. We demand that UNRWA address the core problem, and demonstrate its genuine commitment to basic norms of education in its schools, by publicly condemning UNWRA employees who incite terrorism and antisemitism, removing them from their positions, and creating an independent and impartial investigation of all of its staff.”
