Khaberni -The three members of the UN committee charged with investigating human rights violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories have resigned from their positions, stating that the time has come to renew its composition, according to a UN spokesperson on Monday.
This committee was established in 2021 and faced severe criticism from Israel.
In her resignation letter, the committee’s resigned South African chair, Navi Pillay (83 years old) - who previously served as the president of the International Court for Rwanda - cited her age as one of the reasons for the decision.
The Australian member Chris Sidoti (74 years old) stated that this is the "appropriate time" to renew the committee's composition, while Indian member Miloon Kothari, who is in his late sixties, expressed his "honor" in serving in the committee.
Following these resignations, the president of the UN Human Rights Council, Jörg Lauber, has asked member states to propose new names for the committee's membership by August 31.
The council spokesperson, Pascal Sim, said the goal is to appoint the new experts at the beginning of November, after the three resigning members submit their final report during the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
Denial of Genocide
The independent UN investigation committee confirmed last mid-March that Israel committed acts of genocide and violations against Palestinians in all the occupied territories since last October 7.
The committee said during public hearings in Geneva that the Israeli military has a map of healthcare facilities and their specialties, which have been deliberately destroyed, affirming that the committee has evidence of deliberate Israeli attacks on institutions and health facilities.
It noted that there is neglect and denial by the international community of the violations happening against the Palestinians.
It also stated that Palestinian prisoners are physically and psychologically assaulted in a way that degrades their dignity, and they are prevented from having their voices heard to punish the perpetrators of crimes against them, ensuring such crimes are not repeated.
Additionally, the committee previously reported that any child born today in Gaza faces the risk of death, either in infancy or as they grow older, and children suffer from health dilemmas due to water pollution and exposure to cold and hunger.
The committee also charged Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions with committing war crimes and "crimes against humanity" against "hostages". In contrast, Israel considers the committee "a mechanism of the Human Rights Council, inherently biased and politicized".
Impunity
The committee confirmed exactly four months ago that the legal definition it adopts confirms that what is happening in the Palestinian territories is genocide.
The resigned chair of the UN committee, Navi Pillay, stated that the exonerating statements and actions for Israeli leaders, along with the inefficiency of the military judicial system in trying cases and convicting offenders, send a clear message to the Israeli security forces that they can continue to commit such acts without fear of accountability.
The committee emphasized then that accountability through the International Criminal Court and national courts, under their local laws or exercising universal jurisdiction, is essential to ensure the rule of law and achieve justice for the victims.
In response to the investigation committee's report, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the UN Human Rights Council as "the anti-Israel circus called the Human Rights Council" and accused it last March of anti-Semitism.
