Jacob Magid is the American correspondent for The Times of Israel in New York.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, on Sunday suggested to U. N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to oppose the resolution by one of the organization’s offices to remove its director after tweeting a condemnation of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s rocket fire on Israel.
Claiming that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory had capitulated to Palestinian and local activists by deciding to expel Sarah Muscroft from her post, Erdan wrote in a letter to Guterres: “This rule grants them an ‘unwritten veto’ over UN statements and is in flagrant contradiction to the basic principles of objectivity and neutrality that the UN claims to have.
A U. N. spokesman told The Times of Israel on Saturday that Muscroft would be assigned to a new position five days after his tweet sparked protests among pro-Palestinian activists.
“Relieved to see that an agreed ceasefire ends hostilities affecting Palestinian and Israeli civilians. The indiscriminate firing of rockets through Islamic Jihad that provokes Israeli reprisals is condemned. The protection of all civilians is paramount: the ceasefire will have to be respected,” Muscroft wrote.
He later deleted the post and tweeted an apology the next day, saying that “one of my previous tweets was misinformed and I deleted it. I sincerely apologize for my poor judgment. All civilians will have to be able to live in peace. “.
Explaining the resolution to remove Muscroft, OCHA Deputy Spokesperson Jens Laerke said: “OCHA has been provided in the Occupied Palestinian Territory for 20 years, functioning to meet humanitarian needs, guided by the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and humanity. More than two million other people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory want, it remains our sole purpose and priority.
– Che Papua (@ChePapua) August 9, 2022
As a result, “Israel is concerned to see that Palestinian outrage over the tweets would so temporarily end the ability of a senior UN official to keep up his job and speak out. This represents a transparent capitulation of the UN to threats and intimidation, and raises a very problematic norm,” Erdan wrote.
“At best, this is a recipe for misguided self-censorship by UN officials. At worst, it is a recipe for UN officials to rely exclusively on the Palestinian narrative, even if it contradicts facts on the ground, fair reports, or Israel’s policy. valid interests,” Erdan said.
He noted that the “norm” was also set last year when the director of the UN firm for Palestinian refugees in Gaza was transferred and eventually replaced after an interview he conducted with an Israeli news channel in which he agreed that Israeli airstrikes in Gaza’s May 2021 standoff in Gaza had been “accurate. “
“One way or another, there is time to criticize Israel, without repercussions; however, if a UN staff member dares to speak out against Palestinian terrorism, there is an immediate reaction for fear of reprisals,” Erdan said.
On the other hand, such punitive measures were not taken against a member of a UN commission of inquiry into Israel’s remedy for the Palestinians after claiming last month that the “Jewish lobby” controlled social media, Erdan wrote.
“We ask that Ms. Muscroft’s factor have the greatest concern. We call on OCHA and the UN to oppose this unfortunate resolution which is perceived as a praise of intimidation and threats. While Israel supports constructive engagement with UN officials and agencies, we can “I am not satisfied with such atrocious double standard,” the Israeli ambassador added.
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