Today, in Geneva, NGO Monitor Legal Advisor Anne Herzberg delivered a submission to the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the protests and violence along the Gaza-Israel border beginning in March 2018. Our submission highlighted the failures of previous UN inquiries on Israel, such as the Goldstone Report (2009) and Schabas-Davis (2014), including reliance on highly politicized and terror-affiliated NGOs, lack of transparency surrounding the process of drafting and writing the final reports, and the lack of military and legal expertise of Commission staffs.

NGO Monitor also documented in detail human rights violations by Palestinians and urged the COI to investigate such incidents. These include use of explosives, Molotov cocktails, guns, rockets, and incendiary kites, as well as incitement and attempts to infiltrate through the border fence.

NGO Monitor Legal Advisor Anne Herzberg stated: “In light of the UN’s dismal history of biased investigations of Israel, we urge the current COI to avoid and prevent yet another biased report without credibility, and instead strictly implement best practices. Doing so will enhance policy development and civilian protection and help improve the tarnished reputation of the UN Human Rights Council. We hope that our submission will make a valuable contribution to this effort.”

Ms. Herzberg is in Geneva attending the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights and conducting meetings with UN officials and diplomats. NGO Monitor’s parent body, the Institute for NGO Research, is a recognized organization in Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (since 2013).