UKMW prompts Indy to correct false claim that UN said ‘Israel practices apartheid’

A Dec. 20th op-ed at the Independent by Palestinian activist Abdallah Abu Rahmah included the erroneous claim that a UN report found Israel guilty of apartheid.

A Dec. 20th op-ed at the Independent by Palestinian activist Abdallah Abu Rahmah included the claim that a 2017 UN report found Israel guilty of apartheid.

Here’s the relevant paragraph:

“Despite the persecution that we have faced, all of my trials have taken place under a military court, as is the norm for Palestinians in the West Bank, whilst Israeli settlers are judged in civilian courts. This double standard is just one example of the plentiful evidence that has led to the publication of the UN report on “Israeli policies and the Question of Apartheid”, which affirms that Israel is indeed applying a regime of apartheid to the Palestinian people.

However, as the Indy itself reported back in March of 2017, the report in question merely reflected the personal views of its authors, UN officials Rima Khalef and (extremist) Richard Falk, and not the United Nations itself.  The report was briefly on the UN’s website, but permanently removed a few days later because it was never vetted, yet alone approved, by the proper UN departments or General Secretary Antonio Guterres.

Though, due to the holidays, it took Indy editors more than two weeks to get back to us, they ultimately upheld our complaint and added the following text to the op-ed following the sentence about the ‘apartheid’ report.

After criticism from the Israeli government who called the report “Nazi propaganda”, it was later withdrawn by the UN Secretary General. Rima Khalaf, leader of the commission that published the report, then resigned in protest citing intimidation and pressure to withdraw the report, the contents of which she stood by.

We’re pleased that the op-ed now notes that the report referenced by the Indy contributor does not in fact represent the position of the UN.

(A version of this post was published at CAMERA’s Arabic site)

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