Prime Minister Yair Lapid sends letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres demanding immediate removal of all members of UN's Commission of Inquiry and its disbanding

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

31.07.2022

Prime Minister Yair Lapid, today , sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres demanding, "the immediate removal of all three members of the Commission of Inquiry tasked with investigating Israel, and the disbanding of the Commission."

Prime Minister Lapid: "Excellency, I call on you today to honor your word in this egregious case, to set the record straight. This cannot stand. Slurs about a "Jewish lobby" that acts to "control" the media, are reminiscent of the darkest days of modern history."

"The fight against antisemitism cannot be waged with words alone, it requires action. This is the time for action; it is time to disband the Commission. From Mr. Kothari's outrageous slurs to Ms. Pillay's defense of the indefensible, this Commission does not just endorse antisemitism — it fuels it."

The Prime Minister's demand comes in the aftermath of antisemitic statements by Commission member Mr. Miloon Kothari, which join a series of antisemitic incidents as well as the unmistakable anti-Israel sentiment within the UN's Commission of Inquiry.

This letter is part of a comprehensive and intensive effort led by Israel in recent days.

Thanks to significant efforts, representatives of a number of countries have already condemned Mr. Kothari's antisemitic remarks, including: the United States, France, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Austria, as well as the European Union.