Israel rejects UN rights experts’ warning on annexation as political stunt

An Israeli diplomatic source dismisses a letter by a group of UN rights experts warning against the consequences of West Bank annexation and what it terms “21st century apartheid.”

The source, who speaks on condition of anonymity, says that the experts are not knowledgeable about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the statement “does nothing to help finding a solution to the conflict or to create a constructive dialogue between the parties.”

“This statement is signed by an eclectic group of members of the UN Human Rights Council, some of whom have nothing to do with the region or the rights the statement deals with. One of the signatories, for instance, is special rapporteur for the rights of people with leprosy,” says the source.

“Those people have nothing to do with the issue this statement deals with, which shows that they have no real concern for human rights, but that it’s merely a political statement,” the source adds.

— Raphael Ahren