We saw where it leads with the Goldstone report. Israel needs to grow up, face up to actions and deal with it in mature respectable manner if it wants respect in return. This childish attitude leads now where but more isolation and more condemnation. Some Israelis might prefer in this silly state of us against the world but it is not constructive, immature and damaging.

for 3000 year God has warned us in the bible that there will be a one world government and the whole world will come against israel we can now see turkey Iran and russia setting the final stage of ezekiel 38 being fullfiled before our eyes were the hatred of the world will soon move on jerusalem after they tear away the fabric of israel and force her to give up the land to terrorest ISRAEL GET OUT OF THE UN

There should be more articles and opinions on this topic. The UN has become dominated by a 2/3rds block of tyrannies and non-democratic states that abuse the establishment while ignoring its purpose.

Just a pity that nobody listeness in the ignorant world of today. Put in the words and 'HUMAN rights and NGO's in any campaign and you can sell 'ice to the eskimo's.

Just wondering...is Israel really a democratic state as claimed by the writer, when it systematically sidelines the voices of the millions of its non-Jewish "citizens"?.........what does the term "jewish state" mean for the non-jewish citizens....?

The UNHRC declared Israel guilty before the trial, therefore losing all semblance of balance, objectivity or justice - they essentially lost all credibility. When one is prepared to call those 'childish' who refuse to accept such a 'lynching committee' then we are indeed confronted with a damning indictment as to what lengths some are prepared to go to in order to condemn Israel. The UNHRC has made it official policy, and a permanent feature of every council session, to review alleged human rights abuses by Israel - no-one else, only Israel. This effectively revives a practice of the widely discredited body that it replaced due to it's virulent anti-Israeli platform, which also reviewed alleged Israeli abuses during every meeting as well - no-one else, only Israel. The organisation UN Watch has already condemned the UNHRC which has devoted 100% of it's censure powers to one-sided condemnations of Israel, with supporters of the Arab and Muslim countries & the Organisation of the Islamic Conference holding considerable sway amongst the 47 member forum. Having been chaired by nations such as Libya & Syria, this so-called 'human rights' body was clearly created to find Israel guilty of 'war crimes' for defending itself, its civilians, its soldiers and its sovereign borders, in clear violation of international law. A policy now extended to include the 'flotilla incident' where Council members had already violated any pretence at neutrality by predicating guilt upon Israel prior to the commencement of their 'inquiry' in which Israel quite rightly did not participate or present it's perspective on events. What some are saying is 'why let the facts get in the way of a lynching', it's only the Jews anyway - no-one else just the Jews.

Israel does not need the UN or the USA. Isreal has the protection of the Lord Almighty. Great article, keep 'em coming. Peace to Israel!

the now worn our tactic of attacking the messenger and not focusing on the message is lame and pathetic. Did this pseudo journalist read the report. one should read the report on the forensic details on how the victims died. just read it. what is also amazing and totally ignored for good reason by the Israelis is the brutal treatment of the passengers on arrival in Israel, at the prison where they were interned and amazingly at ben gurion airport. evidence is from multiple witnesses from multiple nationalities.this while thing stinks for israel as did goldstone as does every report from the treatment of the Palestinians. to believe this is all a conspiracy to denigrate Israel is too fantastic to have any credibility. Something is rotten at the core of Israel and slowly but surely it is coming to the light of day

What a poor article this is! Not one word about the content of the report of the UN Human Rights Council! Not one attempt to rebut its findings! What we see instead is a rather pathetic attempt at diverting attention away from the report by pointing at the human rights record of some UN member states. As if that makes it right for Israel, which after all claims it is a modern liberal democratic western state. to behave like a brutal bully. Hendel also forgets that Israel owes its very legitimacy to that same United Nations, but has ignored countless UN resolutions that are in line with international law for decades!

Excellent posting and very true - In Ireland we fight for our "neutral" status to be recognised by the EU and the world, yet our government supports the Irish flotilla, that challenges Israels right to prevent weapon smuggling to terrorist groups, attacking it on a regular basis - it is sickening to witness the perceived moral highground of the likes of the UN and Irish government being used to criticise the state of Israel!

In regard to Human Rights the UN Human Rights Council is an internationally recognized and accepted inter-governmental body set up to advise on human rights abuses, it is a wonder was to why Israel (the bastion of democracy and Western freedoms and values in the ME) has never considered joining such an organization? Membership of the UNHRC is not, as Hendel takes pains to point out, dependant on a nation having a spotless human rights record so there is absolutely no hindrance against Israel becoming a member of this human rights body. One would think that Israel would position itself as a ‘champion of human rights’, but alas this is not the case. In fact I cannot recall Israel taking a firm international stance on human rights abuses. It is all well and good to criticize other nations and international bodies for their efforts in curbing human rights abuses but when these criticisms come from a nation with a dismal human rights record, whom subjugates people in their millions and who has never championed international human rights such criticism are entirely hypocritical and phony. If Israel feels that it is unfairly ‘picked upon’ by this human rights council this is probably because Israel has no political clout in the UN unlike other countries. I would also mention that Hendel’s mention of the “tranquil shores of Gaza” is highly absurd, only the other day the IDF killed a Palestinian fisherman who posed absolutely no threat to them whatsoever. The arbitrary shooting of fishermen by any democratic nation constitutes a breach of human rights - even if that democratic nation happens to be Israel.

Israel owes its legitimacy to the Balfour Declaration, the San Remo Peace Conference, Versailles and the League of Nations Mandate which only eventually fell into the hands of the UN; A UN which was quite a different organisation to the hostile anti-Israeli body we see today. There would have been no flotilla, no Palestinian issue, no Mid-East peace talks if the Arab/Islamic world had accepted partition and peace in 1948. Concern for the UN and resolutions was of no consequence for the Arab/Islamic world when it sought the genocide of the Jewish state. Ceding Gaza for peace has resulted in another manifestation of the reality facing Israel both in the Arab/Islamic world and in the UN. Neither consider Israel to have a right of self defence and condemn it for doing so. Silence was their response when Israel was bombarded with 10,000 missiles from land ceded in good faith for a peaceful coexistence. Their thunderous silence only being broken when Israel eventually responded. If/when the Turkel report rubbishes the UNHRC report then these same contributors only too eager to lynch Israel upon the basis of this one-sided repor todayt will have no interest in ithe contents of the Turkel report. Just as they have no interest in the fact that, the other five vessels in the flotilla devoid of the IHH activists, presented no violence towards Israeli troops and suffered no casualties. It's not for nothing that the IHH activists were recorded prior to the Israeli troops even boarding, as preparing for a martyrdom operation and in possession of weapons to perpetrate the violence that we have all seen on our tv screens.

In 1947/8 the UN tried to pass Resolution 181 to separate what was left of "Palestine" between the Jews and the Arabs. The Jews were prepared to eat the crumbs that fell off the British table but the Arabs were not and refused another "Palestinian" state along with Jordan. The Arab world then embarking on it's publicly declared policy of the genocide of the Jewish presence from the Middle East. My country having already appeased the Arab world by giving 77% of the original Mandated territory to create another new Arab country of Transjordan. The remaining 23% to be split between more Arabs and the Jews was acceptable to Israel but not to the Palestinians. Despite the Israeli allocation being mostly desert they were prepared to accept it for peace. The Palestinian/Arab world refused, chose war and wanted it all. Between 1948 and 1967, the Arabs (Jordan & Egypt respectfully) illegally occupied the so called "West Bank" (Judea & Samaria) and Gaza. During this NINETEEN year period of Arab occupation, no moves were made to create any Palestinian state in these territories. Instead they were used as a base and platform from which to launch terrorist attacks into the Jewish state. So as to UN resolution 181 being a joke, it was clearly seen as such by the Palestinians, as was partition and peace. Something seen repeatedly seen.

New Yorkers don't want this anti-American organization in the greatest city in the world! Instead of the UN building we can build 2 or 3 more high rises.

Everyone with eyes knows exactly what happened. Everyone knows exactly who started the violence. Everyone knows that the UN report was always going to be useless toilet paper. You are a doctor, how useful is expired medicine as aid? If they really really cared you don't think they could have brought something vaguely useful? Maybe medicine that hadn't expired?

UN Human Rights Committee is a fit group, once headed by Syria with membership to Iran and now Pakistan and Egypt, all bastions of democracies ensuring basic human rights to their citizens, to judge human rights' abuses in the USA, France and the UK not to mention Israel, of course? Or not? If your posts weren't normally so one-sided, only mirroring Israels' deficiencies, you might receive some genuine credibility. As it is, it's very hard to deal with your posts due to your interests not in justice (as you both would have us believe) but in continuously demonizing Israel. In your case, Ben, we know that you have a part-time medical practice in Gaza and I think that's admirable. Your current post on tear gas, drawing from your medical knowledge, was instructive. But when you get complimented by your Irish friend, "Matty Groves", doesn't it occur to you that something might just be wrong?

it satrted, Israel violated International law by boarding that ship in International water, this is like invading to do great harm to some one in his house and latr blame the owner for defending himself, and what is worse killing the owner of the house and saying it was the owners fault and you now trying to defend this, this is exactly why Israel loosing face it always try to defen the indefesable, Chuztbah

your so wrong..Israel is not Guilty so why she should accept the Findings when they Ignored Israel's own Findings and They had already Found Israel Guilty from ´day one..It a Mockery and like someone being Found Guilty even before the charges are made by A Police! and then the Police without listening to the oher side,or taking any witnesses for the defence,and that Police then turns out to be friends of the alleged Victim. Get the facts and understand that the So called human Right Organizations are Influenced by Hard left Communists and pro-islamic Pro-palestinin allies,and Anti-Israeli bigots! you live in my Neck of the woods,Shamefull!

thank you.

Robert I never said that the UNHRC was “fit”, as you put it, I merely stated that it is the recognized and accepted International human rights body, and it certainly has more credibility than Israel and it’s stance on human rights. If Israel has a problem with the UNHRC it should change it from within, as I pointed out that Israel has never sought to join such an organization. It is like a family bitching about the local neighborhood watch group because the group complains that the family are a bunch of violent thieves - there are two options either join the group or change your ways. You would do well not to lump Ben and myself into the same pigeonhole as unlike Ben I have no credibility here and as I have mentioned to you on at least two previous occasions I seek neither credibility nor respect. Believe it or not Robert but two very different people with different backgrounds and opinions can agree on a given point, that doesn’t make them associates/friends. I also note that you are now calling me ‘Irish’, that’s fine as I will add this term to the other things you have accused me of being ie: English/Welsh/Palestinian/BBS News/Nour/etc.

Member selection is based upon on regional groupings! This is a red herring of a statement!

Israel does not sideline the voices of millions of non-Jewish citizens. Although minorities are not granted collective rights (b/c Israel doesn't have a formal constituion), they are granted civil rights just like Jewish citizens of the state. Israeli-Arab citizens are even granted semi-collective right (like those regarding separate educational curriculums). There are even non-Jews in the Parliament, who have even gone against Israeli law and visited "enemy states" and one even took part on the Mavi Marmara flotilla, and nothing happened to them. Were it Iran or Pakistan, they could just be executed...but luckily they live in the only democratic state in the Middle East.

the worst thing the un ever did was allow israel to be

The UN's Human right council consist of some of the Worst Violaters of Human right Countries in the World. I fell sick to the Stomach that such Organizations have become tools of those who Hate Israel and want her Demise! It almost hard to believe it but Seeing and hearing is believing! the UN Has a lot to answer for. The Ordinary person in the street does not know any different when Israel is charged then Found Guilty by a Corrupt Organization that just want to Demonize her from the outset. Right from day 1,ISRAEL Was Judged by these groups,why should we even Allow these Organizations to exist when they are CLEARLY Judge Israel every time She Defend herself?what happened to JUSTICE AND Listening to Two Sides of a Story? this is surely like what we Witnessed during the 30's when Jews where Deliberately Demonized by the Nazis.what the different today? Now we have a new more subtle, more 'Respectable' Propaganda machine being used such as the UN,HUMAN RIGHT ORGANIZATIONS,AND "PEACE" ORGANIZATIONS. The UN's Human right council consist of some of the Worst Violaters of Human right Countries in the World. And these same groups and Power are trying to pass a law that will ban Criticising Islam. Isn't this what we are clearly reading About in the Prophetic Scriptures found throughout the Bible,Both old and New Testament. It Plainly speaks of the World System that will Dominate the World and will seek to Destroy Israel in the last days,are we not seeing this taking Shape? It speaks of a religion that will dominate thhis System and this System will HATE Jews and HATE Israel. rev 13 & 17 Zech 12 is a UN Backed war against Israel. But first she has to be Demonized to get the rest of the World hating her or at least not have any Sympathy for her! It happening before out very eyes. Ezek 38&39 these are the forces now taking shape and joel 3:2 tells us what about to happen soon! Germany then,TODAY the UN

occur to you that Israel would never be admitted to the UNHRC? Have you ever really evaluated the make-up and the poor judgements of the UNHRC? I know, these are your ill considered opinions not based on research. Then you go on to compare this to intra-familial squabbling. Really, "Matty", this is simply inaacurate but I'll let you figure out why. And who called you all those names? I wouldn't insult Dylan Thomas country by suggesting that you also come from there.

That's great that you seek neither respect or credibility because you don't have either. In fact, you suffer from the same fault as the UNHRC -- your continual one sided demonization of Israel has taken on a humorous aspect. BTW, I got a great chuckle out of your suggestion that Israel join the UNHRC and reform it. I can see you suggesting with a straight face that a black family join the KKK and reform it from within. Just wow!

It's one thing for the UN to spend tons of money looking busy and issuing reports -- and never seeming to accomplish anything that really matters anymore. It's quite another when the UN is used to give legitimacy to various thuggish regimes. *AND* have those thugs sit in judgement of a democratic country! The UN is well-past it's 'Use By' date. Time to scrap it and come up with something better.