Entire UN Commission on Israel and Palestine resigns

The Commission, established by the Human Rights Council in May 2021, had a permanent mandate to investigate violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the Palestinian territories and in Israel.

The Commission's President, Navi Pillay, informed the Council on 8 July of her resignation due to health reasons.

The two remaining members of the Commission, Chris Sidoti and Miloon Kothari, resigned on 9 and 10 July, for unspecified reasons. Israel has refused to cooperate with the Commission since its inception, accusing it of bias.

Following the publication of the Commission's first report in June 2022, the Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the Commission, while the Israeli ambassador in Geneva accused the members, particularly Navi Pillay, of "anti-Israel bias".

The United States also expressed concern about the Commission's "overbroad mandate", citing "disproportionate" treatment of Israel in the Council. In recent months, the US has imposed sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for attempting to initiate criminal proceedings against US and Israeli citizens.

In February, Israel and the US announced their withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, denouncing the body's "anti-Israel obsession".

However, a spokesperson for the Council stressed that Israel and the US technically cannot leave the Council, as they are not members.