Introduction
Have you ever asked yourself what you can do to improve the welfare of the Jewish people and its state? To help protect the human rights of the men, women and children of Israel against seven decades of violent antisemitism? To fight back against the appropriation and degradation of educational, commercial and democratic institutions around the world by the promoters of tension, instability and the protraction of the Arab-Israeli conflict? To contribute to peaceful coexistence between Israel and its Arab neighbors? To challenge the use and abuse of the United Nations to promote impunity and unaccountability for systematic discrimination against Jews and repression of Jews based on their Jewish identity?
And to do so without funding or travel or special connections?
This is it. The United Nations has created a diabolical “Commission of Inquiry” to devastate the modern Jewish state by labeling it as a racist enterprise, criminalizing its self-defense and ravishing its economy through boycotts, divestment and sanctions. This “Inquiry” has now issued a “Call for Submissions.” Help Israel and the Jewish people by answering this call. Make a submission.
What follows is the why and the how of making a submission.
The UN "Inquiry’s" rapacious job description has been set out in a 2021 resolution of the UN Human Rights Council. It is to investigate:
“all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law leading up to and since April 13, 2021, and all underlying root causes of recurrent tensions, instability and protraction of conflict, including systematic discrimination and repression based on national, Cethnic, racial or religious identity.”
(April 13, 2021 was the start of Ramadan and another round of Palestinian violence framed and falsified as Jewish repression of Muslim rights.)
The “Inquiry” has three members. The Chair is Navi Pillay, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Pillay’s inglorious resume includes: the world’s leading champion of the UN’s antisemitic hatefest in Durban, South Africa, as well as the key sponsor and defender of the UN’s Goldstone report and its blood libel that Israel targets and murders civilians. Since leaving office, she’s made a habit of promoting BDS and accusing Israel of apartheid.
So the fix is in. The history of the UN resolution that created the “Inquiry,” the formal mandate of the “Inquiry,” and the anti-Israel personal profiles of the three inquisitors, have all been crafted to guarantee these conclusions: Israel is guilty of apartheid; the “root causes” of “the conflict” are Jews oppressing Muslims and Arabs; the solution is to use (false) claims of racism to (a) validate and unleash criminal prosecutions of Israelis and (b) fuel demands upon “third states” and “business enterprises” to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel.
Hence, the “Inquiry” is not an “inquiry” at all. It is a hit squad, most accurately described as Pillay’s Pogrom.
Submissions are, therefore, not about changing their minds, but about educating those who remain open to learning the truth about the Jewish state and the Jewish people. Submissions are about delegitimizing the delegitimizers. About exposing antisemitism and calling it out as such. About urging others to stand with the people of Israel and to object to the perversion of law and to the falsification of right and wrong by the United Nations.
Moreover, when this “Inquiry” distorts and misrepresents international law, it will harm the law-abiding everywhere. When this “Inquiry” threatens third states if they don’t act (illegally) to boycott and sanction Israel, positive international comity and constructive cooperation are the losers. When this “Inquiry” tries to criminalize self-defense, the safety and security of all peoples suffering from terrorism and aggression suffer too.
Undoubtedly, there is a legitimization question: by making a submission to this rigged exercise, will we legitimize it? The answer is no – in this case. The answer is emphatically NO, the greater the number of experts, victims, and concerned individuals and organizations who act. Nothing prevents submissions from stating at the outset that they are made for the purpose of informing members of the “Inquiry” and the UN community of the facts, and that failure to produce accurate reports will further extinguish the “Inquiry” and the UN’s credibility.
No doubt, Pillay and her colleagues will do their best to distort or ignore any submission which does not advance their existing biases and preset agenda. But by making a submission, and adding your voice to those prepared to challenge this UN license to hate, you can make a difference. Below you will also find specific suggestions for ensuring your submission counts.
So stand up to #PillaysPogrom. Write now.
Submissions: The Details
Deadline: The inquiry’s first report is due to be published in June 2022. Submissions should be made as soon as possible.Aim to be no later than the end of February 2022.
How many submissions: The more, the better. If they overlap, that is not a problem.
Who should submit: Individuals, organizations, and even legislators. Victims of modern antisemitism, victims of Palestinian terror, victims of Arab rejection of a Jewish state, students and teachers, campus groups, Jewish organizations, synagogue groups, interfaith groups, Birthright alum, day school students, legal experts, political scientists, historians, people from all walks of life. There are no pre-qualifications.
Topics: The “Inquiry” has a list of five acceptable topics for submissions. They are deliberately vast in scope. Below, the UN’s formal topics are italicized. Suggestions for submissions for each are listed underneath. They are just ideas and not intended to be limiting or determinative in any way:
(1) “Underlying root causes of recurrent tensions, instability and protraction of conflict in and between the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel; as well as systematic discrimination and repression based on national, ethnic, racial or religious identity;
Suggestions: True accounts of the myriad dimensions of the history of the conflict. The enduring historical and spiritual realities of the Jewish people and the land of Israel. Palestinian antisemitism. Systematic Palestinian/Arab discrimination and Palestinian/Arab repression or attempted repression based on non-Muslim religious identity or non-Arab ethnic or racial identity. Refutations of the apartheid lie. What makes modern antisemitism clearly different from legitimate criticism of Israel (and the common recognition of room for improvement). Protraction of conflict by surrogates and defenders of Palestinian terrorists, revisionists, rejectionists and violent antisemites operating in politics, schools, media and non-governmental organizations around the world. The recurrence or cycle explained (hatred of Jews – hatred of the Jewish state – violence directed at the Jewish state – Jewish self-defense – more Jew-hatred).
(2) Facts and circumstances regarding alleged violations of international humanitarian law and alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law leading up to and since 13 April 2021;
Suggestions: The experiences of the full range of victims of Palestinian terror and incitement. Legal accounts or demonstrations of the panoply of unlawful Palestinian acts.
(3) Identification of those responsible;
Suggestions: The identification and naming of: members of Palestinian terrorist organizations; various Palestinian criminal acts and their perpetrators; the promoters of antisemitic hate in traditional and social media; payors and recipients of Palestinian funds under “pay-to-slay” rules; inciters of terrorism and violence; child educators teaching hate; parents who send their children into harm’s way; members of NGOs engaged in systemic antisemitism, or incitement to violence or terror; organizers and members of groups using Israel as a cover for antisemitism wherever they reside; Palestinian officials or representatives (elected or chosen) engaged in sponsoring, funding, inciting and otherwise supporting antisemitism, religious and racial intolerance, violence and terror, and the rejection of a Jewish state.
(4) Recommendations on accountability measures, with a view to avoiding and ending impunity and ensuring legal accountability, including individual criminal and command responsibility;
Suggestions: Instances of the unaccountability of Palestinians and their governing entities. The wrongfulness of turning those responsible for self-defense into criminals. The rules of international humanitarian law and their proper application to this conflict. How Israel’s legal system promotes accountability. Why discriminatory UN apparatus does not and will not promote accountability in this conflict. Accountability measures for ending the spread of modern antisemitism and impunity for fueling antisemitic violence.
(5) Recommendations on measures to be taken by third States to ensure respect for international humanitarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.”
Suggestions: The antisemitic character of BDS and the illegality of endorsing it. Recommendations for measures by third states to terminate legitimization and financing of Palestinian terrorist organizations and their NGO enablers and accomplices, wherever they are based. Measures third states, as funders and supporters of the United Nations, can take to rebuff disrespect for international humanitarian law by and through the United Nations at the bidding of Israel’s enemies.
Tips for Submissions:
Be sure to start your submission by referring to one or more of the five italicized topics listed (above) in the UN’s formal “Call for Submissions,” so they have no excuse to rule your work “outside the mandate.”
Make your case in reasoned terms, with sources as appropriate.
Any length will do. Even a single page.
The work need not be new. An existing or pre-published work can be submitted – so long as it is introduced as clearly connected to one or more of the five italicized topics listed and why.
Provide a brief statement as to who you are.
Don’t rely on the UN’s assurances about privacy or assume confidentiality. Write what you would be fine with putting out into the world.
Where to Send #1:
According to the “Inquiry” website, submissions should be uploaded to the following address: https://owncloud.unog.ch/s/eYqkCWdqgMUqFTs.
If, for any reason, the address fails to function or the UN changes it, feel free to write us for assistance at our contact page.
The UN says they will not acknowledge receipt of submissions. So be sure to keep your own record.
Where to Send #2:
Our NGO, Human Rights Voices, is prepared to keep a log of submissions. This is an important tool, especially if and when submissions are ignored. We would, therefore, encourage you to send us notification of your submission, or send us the submission itself (in addition to sending it directly to the UN site), by using our contact page. By doing so, we will also be able to keep you informed about developments concerning the “Inquiry.”
Making Sure Your Voice Heard:
You cannot assume that your submission will be read or noticed in the “Inquiry’s” reports. But you can reach the court of public opinion and affect the reception and impact of their reports. Proactive steps are required to ensure that your voice is heard. These can include:
holding a news conference or publishing a press release announcing your submission
turning your submission into an op-ed
publishing your submission online or elsewhere
using your submission as the basis of a webinar or conference
using the substance of your submission on social media.
Furthermore, UN actors and anti-Israel organizations will mount a sustained campaign hyping the “Inquiry’s” reports and demanding their implementation, starting with its first report in June 2022. You too can prepare for this onslaught with news conferences, press releases, interviews, and social media campaigns.
Defy #PillaysPogrom. Make a submission.
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