The head of a United Nations inquiry into allegations of war crimes committed during Israel's offensive into Gaza into 2014 has resigned from his post, after accusations of an anti-Israeli bias.
Canadian law professor William Schabas was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to head a three-member group investigating reports of war crimes committed during the conflict.
Israel had slammed the commission and accused Mr Schabas of having an anti-Israeli bias, citing consultancy work the professor had done for the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) in October, 2012.
Mr Schabas though said the legal opinion that he had written for the organisation represented “a tiny part” of his work and rejected the claims of bias. "The complaint about my brief consultancy, as I understand it, is not about the content, which is of a technical legal nature, but the implication that in some way I am henceforth beholden to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation," he wrote.
However he stated "under the circumstances and with great regret, I believe the important work of the commission is best served if I resign with immediate effect".
Stating he had pledged to take up the post “with independence and impartiality,” Mr Schabas said “this work in defense of human rights appears to have made me a huge target for malicious attacks which, if Israel’s complaint is to be taken at face value, will only intensify in the weeks to come.”
“The Commission of Inquiry is at a decisive stage in its work,” he added. “It has largely completed the task of gathering material and listening to victims and other witnesses, including experts. The work on the drafting of the report is beginning. I believe that it is difficult for the work to continue while a procedure is underway to consider whether the chair of the commission should be removed.’
Calling for the whole commission to be scrapped, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the UN Human Rights Council was "an anti-Israel body" that had "nothing to do with human rights". "This is the same council that in 2014 made more decisions against Israel than against Iran, Syria and North Korea combined," said Mr Netanyahu. "After the resignation of William Schabas it is time to shelve the anti-Israeli report his committee wrote."
Canadian law professor William Schabas was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to head a three-member group investigating reports of war crimes committed during the conflict.
Israel had slammed the commission and accused Mr Schabas of having an anti-Israeli bias, citing consultancy work the professor had done for the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) in October, 2012.
Mr Schabas though said the legal opinion that he had written for the organisation represented “a tiny part” of his work and rejected the claims of bias. "The complaint about my brief consultancy, as I understand it, is not about the content, which is of a technical legal nature, but the implication that in some way I am henceforth beholden to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation," he wrote.
However he stated "under the circumstances and with great regret, I believe the important work of the commission is best served if I resign with immediate effect".
Stating he had pledged to take up the post “with independence and impartiality,” Mr Schabas said “this work in defense of human rights appears to have made me a huge target for malicious attacks which, if Israel’s complaint is to be taken at face value, will only intensify in the weeks to come.”
“The Commission of Inquiry is at a decisive stage in its work,” he added. “It has largely completed the task of gathering material and listening to victims and other witnesses, including experts. The work on the drafting of the report is beginning. I believe that it is difficult for the work to continue while a procedure is underway to consider whether the chair of the commission should be removed.’
Calling for the whole commission to be scrapped, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the UN Human Rights Council was "an anti-Israel body" that had "nothing to do with human rights". "This is the same council that in 2014 made more decisions against Israel than against Iran, Syria and North Korea combined," said Mr Netanyahu. "After the resignation of William Schabas it is time to shelve the anti-Israeli report his committee wrote."