UN to hear case against Israel over racial discrimination

A UN committee will hear a Palestinian complaint ­accusing Israel of racial discrimination, in a decision criticised by Washington on Tuesday.

The United Nations General Assembly in New York. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

A UN committee will hear a Palestinian complaint ­accusing Israel of racial discrimination, in a decision criticised by Washington on Tuesday.

The committee of independent experts, which has the power to name and shame members of the UN convention on ­racial discrimination, decided it could handle a complaint filed by the Palestinians in 2018.

The US expressed “profound disappointment”, arguing that Israel did not recognise Palestine as a state or as a party to the convention, and as a result the committee had no jurisdiction.

“The committee’s disregard for treaty law raises serious questions about the legitimacy of this process,” said Andrew Bremberg, US envoy to international organisations. “The US will continue to advocate for fair treatment for ­Israel in this and other inter­national fora.”

Five of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrim­ination’s 18 experts made the ­unusual move of publicly dis­agreeing with its decision.

They published a statement arguing that Israel’s objection to entering treaty relations with Palestine meant the committee had no jurisdiction. The committee had engaged in a drawn-out debate over jurisdiction before deciding last month that it could hear the case — a decision not made public at the time.

Their conclusions, revealed on Monday, showed that 10 experts voted in favour, three opposed and the others abstained or were absent.

AFP