What's New

One-after-another repressive countries demonized Israel during the UN Human Rights Council's regularly scheduled day intended to turn the Jewish state into an international pariah.

The meeting was held on June 19, 2017 under the Council's "Agenda Item 7," the only item on its permanent agenda dedicated to one specific country. Despite speeches by US UN Ambassador Nikki Haley on the "unacceptable" nature of the Council's treatment of Israel, the Trump administration remains a member of the Council and requires US taxpayers to cover 22% of its costs.

The meeting, which took place at the UN in Geneva, featured the following examples of hate speech under the guise of "human rights."

• Pakistan on behalf of the 56 states in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation: "The overall context is one of colonization and apartheid... The OIC condemns in the strongest terms the continuous incitement by the Israeli officials and terrorist settlers against the Palestinian people and their holy places..."
• Bangladesh: "[W]e continue witnessing Israeli aggression, colonial settlements, indiscriminate killing of innocent civilian people of Palestine, and their untold sufferings. Bangladesh continues to underscore that lasting solution to this crisis requires addressing the root causes leading to such violations, namely the Israeli state's Zionist ideology, which aims to establish a Jewish majority in historic Palestine through colonization, ethnic cleansing, and the systematic oppression and domination over the non-Jews."
• South Africa: "South Africa wishes once again to register its most serious concern related to the construction of the apartheid wall in the occupied Palestinian territory..."
• Iraq: "There are systematic murders by the occupying forces."
• Tunisia: "All this happens in a culture of impunity as Israel goes ahead with its settlement policies, transgressing and attacking holy places of Muslims and Christians in order to Judaize and change the demographics of Jerusalem."
• Venezuela: "We reject the colonialist policy of the occupying power which is terror, siege, and discrimination, ignoring all calls to dialogue and peace by the international community."
• Qatar: "It is essential thus that the international community reiterate its commitment before the International Criminal Court to ensure that-and then be brought to the racist violations of Israelis towards Palestinians."

In addition Syria found the Council a welcome opportunity to blame Jews for its problems, claiming ""Israelis' facilitation of movement and transport of terrorist groups in occupied Syria...fuels and stokes tensions in the region..."

UN "Human Rights" Council Hosts Antisemitic, Anti-Israel Session, with U.S. Taxpayers Funding One-quarter of the Cost. Development

Bayefsky: Antisemitism personified at the UN. 6/19/17, UN, Geneva

Otto Warmbier, the American student who was imprisoned in North Korea for more than 17 months and was returned home to Ohio last week, has died, his family said Monday.

"It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home," his family said in part in a statement. "Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2:20 p.m."

Doctors from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center said last week that Warmbier, 22, was suffering from injuries related to cardiopulmonary arrest and was in a state of unresponsive wakefulness. Scans showed extensive loss in all regions of Warmbier's brain, doctors said.

Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was medically evacuated from North Korea and flown to Cincinnati late last Tuesday. He was then transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

On Monday, the family paid tribute to Warmbier in their emotional statement.

"It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost -- future time that won't be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds," the family's statement continues. "But we choose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person. You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched -- Wyoming, Ohio, and the University of Virginia to name just two -- that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family."

The statement also thanked "the wonderful professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who did everything they could for Otto."

"When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13th he was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands. He looked very uncomfortable -- almost anguished. Although we would never hear his voice again, within a day the countenance of his face changed -- he was at peace. He was home and we believe he could sense that."

In a statement, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, called Warmbier a "promising young man."

"He was kind, generous and accomplished," Portman said. "He had all the talent you could ever ask for and a bright future ahead of him. His passing today is a loss for Ohio and for all of us. Jane and I are lifting up the Warmbier family in our prayers at this difficult time, and we are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of this remarkable young Ohioan."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich offered his prayers to the family in a statement posted on Twitter.

Otto Warmbier, American student detained in North Korea for 17 months, dies Document

Bayefsky: Israelis are expected to die laughing. 6/19/17, UN, Geneva

PLO Threatens to Go to ICC - to Protect Terrorist Salaries Article