Oren said that since Trump’s election, he has told senior officials in the American administration that Haley remaining in the UNHRC granted legitimacy to an anti-Israel, antisemitic body.
By GIL HOFFMAN
Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum praised the American decision Wednesday to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council over its biased treatment of Israel and its failure to address serious abuses throughout the world.Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud) reacted on Twitter by praising US President Donald Trump and US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and criticizing Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights.“Thank you @RealDonaldTrump and @NikkiHaley for leaving the @UN_HRC,” Hanegbi said. “It’s a shame that #Zeid and the world’s worst #humanrights abusers have used what should be a valuable institution to repeatedly and unjustifiably condemn #Israel while simultaneously ignoring actual atrocities.”Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev (Likud) said “the US said enough to the UNHRC’s lies and fabrications.” She praised the US for repeatedly proving its friendship with Israel.“This is an organization that helps countries trample human rights rather than supporting countries who fight for human rights and an organization that has made more decisions against Israel than Iran, Syria, and North Korea combined,” Regev said.Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Michael Oren took credit for the American decision.“Two years ago, I led a demonstration of hundreds of people at the UN’s ‘Council for the Rights of Terrorists,’ which has become an antisemitic institution and a center for hatred of Jews,” Lapid said. “I met then with the American ambassador to the council and called for America to immediately leave the cursed organization. I appreciate President Trump standing with Israel.”Oren said that since Trump’s election, he has told senior officials in the American administration that Haley remaining in the UNHRC granted legitimacy to an anti-Israel, antisemitic body. He said America’s departure sent a message to the world that the American superpower would no longer tolerate hatred toward its allies in Israel and the Jewish people.Zionist Union MK Salah Saad, who is Druse, said the UN needs to be neutral, but instead it has allowed its Human Rights Council to become “a council of hypocrisy and of condemning Israel.”MKs in the Joint List did not comment about the decision.