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Hillel Neuer

@HillelNeuer

Aug 12

Today we are holding Francesca Albanese's husband & collaborator to account. We just lodged an official complaint with the World Bank calling to fire Massimiliano Cali for his decade of anti-American and anti-Israel posts—in violation of World Bank rules. unwatch.org/world-bank-eco…

2/ Like his wife, Massimiliano Cali is a dangerous nutcase who says Israel “invents” terrorist attacks. He equates the IDF fighting Hamas rocket launchers with the Nazis murdering Jews in the Warsaw ghetto.

Full text of our letter to the World Bank: unwatch.org/wp-content/upl…

3/ The U.S. funds his World Bank salary, but Massimiliano Cali loves to attack “Amerika”
unwatch.org/massimiliano-c…

Read 4 tweets

Hillel Neuer

@HillelNeuer

Aug 8

x.com/UN_SPExperts/s…

.@UN_SPExperts Your claim that Hamas terrorism supporter Francesca Albanese enjoys immunity from U.S. sanctions has no basis—her term legally ended on May 1. On April 23, she was duly served with our “Notice of Cessation of Mandate, Effective 1 May 2025”: unwatch.org/wp-content/upl… x.com/UN_SPExperts/s…

Notice of Invalid Appointment and Cessation of Mandate Effective 1 May 2025

Dear Ms. Albanese,

This letter serves as formal notice that the purported renewal of your UN mandate, as “Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967,” is invalid and without legal effect, and therefore null and void.

The purported renewal, announced at the conclusion of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, was carried out in direct contravention of the governing legislation—as mandated under Presidential Statement 8/PRST/2 and enshrined in Article 7 of the Manual of Operations of the Special Procedures—which requires the President to bring forward to the Council any information of persistent non-compliance with the Code of Conduct for Special Procedure Mandate-Holders.

As you are aware, a formal submission with a 56-page dossier documenting your sustained and egregious violations of that Code—including breaches of impartiality, integrity, and restraint—was submitted by United Nations Watch to the President of the Council on 26 March 2025.

3/ In addition to our own submission, receipt of which was duly acknowledged by the President’s office on 28 March, letters to the President were filed by the Governments of Argentina, Hungary, and Israel, as well as by the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. Congress, who called on the President to exercise his “sworn duty to utilize [his] authority as stated in Presidential Statement 8/2 (PRST/8/2) to ‘convey to the Council any information brought to [his] attention concerning cases of persistent non-compliance by a mandate-holder with the provisions of Council Resolution 5/2, especially prior to the renewal of mandate holders in office.’” Astonishingly, in complete violation of his duties and of the prescribed legal procedure, the President refused to do so. Likewise, the Council itself violated its express duty to even “consider such information,” let alone to “act upon it as appropriate.”

Read 8 tweets

Hillel Neuer

@HillelNeuer

Aug 6

https://twitter.com/UNWatch/status/1953116608496542087

Nothing to see here, just a so-called U.N. human rights expert legitimizing Iran's English-language propaganda outlet Press TV — which airs forced confessions of tortured Iranian political prisoners. Shame on you, @FranceskAlbs. #بیشرف
🧵

https://twitter.com/UNWatch/status/1953116608496542087

2/ Press TV broadcast Maziar Bahari's forced confession in Evin prison. “I was surprised — I thought Press TV would at least pretend to have some credibility and wouldn’t come and interview a prisoner in an interrogation room when I was under duress.” channel4.com/news/iran-repo…

3/ Mr. Bahari says he was tortured and then forced to make his confession on Press TV, under threat of execution. He had to sat inside a room in the prison before three cameras, and respond to questions suggested by a government interrogator, who stood behind a red curtain.

Read 5 tweets

Hillel Neuer

@HillelNeuer

Jul 15

Big News: The UN's entire commission of inquiry against Israel has resigned, in fear of U.S. sanctions.
▶️ unwatch.org/un-watch-hails…

Now here's my 🧵 on what the media won't tell you:

A broad coalition of 22 nations condemned the inquiry's anti-Israel bias:

• It was established with an “open-ended mandate with no sunset clause, end date, or clear limitations...”

• “We believe the nature of the COI is further demonstration of long-standing, disproportionate attention given to Israel in the Council, which must stop.”

• “We continue to believe that this long-standing disproportionate scrutiny should end, and that the Council should address all human rights concerns, regardless of country, in an even-handed manner.”

• “Regrettably, we are concerned that the Commission of Inquiry will further contribute to the polarization of a situation about which so many of us are concerned.”

2/ When the commission's reports supported Hamas, @COLRICHARDKEMP took the floor:

“Mr. President, this commission of inquiry is equivalent to Putin’s propaganda machine. The disinformation from Moscow justifies their illegal war on Ukraine; the disinformation from today’s report justifies Hamas’s illegal war on Israel.

I wish to address the commissioners. Putin wrongfully says an illegitimate Ukrainian state occupies Russian territory; you wrongfully say an illegitimate Israeli state occupies Palestinian territory.

Putin falsely says his war is to protect Russian-speakers in Ukraine; you falsely say Hamas’s violence is to protect religious rights in Jerusalem.

Why is this commission swallowing Hamas’s lies — hook, line and sinker — and amplifying them with a megaphone that contorts reality into a travesty of human rights?

Neither this commission nor Putin count Hamas as terrorists. You back them with words while Putin backs them with guns.

Today’s report validates and encourages Hamas’s terror tactics, just as it outrageously denigrates Israel’s lawful defense.

Your work here today ensures renewed bloodshed tomorrow. It incites hatred of Jews around the world, and cruelly betrays the Palestinian people.”

HRC President: “Excuse me, I have to interrupt you — there is a point of order asked by the State of Palestine.”

PLO: “Thank you very much indeed, sir. I would just like to reiterate your call on everyone to respect the mandate of this council and to stick to using respectful language. Such interventions, President, perpetuate the crimes and the violence that we have seen during the funeral of the Palestinian journalist who was killed. This language is an ongoing feature of the violence that is in Palestine. So, President, I will call on you to put an end to the statement of the current speaker. Thank you.”

Col. Kemp: “This report incites hatred of Jews around the world, and cruelly betrays the Palestinian people. Before Putin was expelled from this body, he voted to create your commission of inquiry, and now—like Hamas—he has endorsed your report. I can think of no greater indictment.”

3/ I took the floor at the United Nations to expose the disqualifying bigotry and bias of the commission chair, Navi Pillay. They had no reply:

“Today we ask: Do you believe, High Commissioner, that this Council is ensuring justice and the rule of law?

You mention, at paragraph 34, that the Council created a new commission of inquiry in May 2021.

This inquiry is special. It has an unusually broad mandate to investigate all violations connected to the war that month between Hamas and Israel, as well as incidents in Jerusalem in April, and all events leading up to that period, and since.

Second, unlike all previous inquiries, this one has an all-encompassing mandate to investigate the “root causes of current tensions,” including alleged “systematic discrimination” on the basis of race.

Finally, whereas all other inquiries have a defined term—typically for a year, to produce one report—this inquiry on Israel is the only one mandated to report “on an annual basis.” For perpetuity. The size of the inquiry’s budget and staff, costing millions of dollars, is also unprecedented.

For its most substantial inquiry ever, one would expect special care in choosing its Chair. Yet in July, the Council appointed Ms. Navi Pillay — despite a bipartisan Congressional letter from 2012 documenting how she “repeatedly demonstrated bias against the State of Israel.”

In the Bible it is written: “Justice, Justice shalt thou pursue.” Why does Justice appear twice? To teach us that the methods we use to pursue justice must also be just.

Was appointing Ms. Pillay just?

High Commissioner, under Guidelines published by your office in 2015, a chair of a commission of inquiry must have “a proven record of independence and impartiality,” which can be impacted by “prior public statements.”

Let us consider the statements of Ms. Pillay, Chair of the new inquiry. On 31 May 2010, she declared that “the Israeli government treats international law with perpetual disdain.” In November 2017, she accused Israel of “apartheid.” In a May 2021 lecture, she did it again—and she described Israel’s actions as “inhuman.”

But it’s not only statements. Ms. Pillay has actually lobbied governments. In June 2020, she signed an appeal, organized by the South African Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Coalition, entitled “Sanction Apartheid Israel!”

Her petition condemned “Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime,” campaigned for countries to “ban military-security cooperation with Israel,” and urged them to impose sanctions.

On 14 June 2021, she co-signed a letter to U.S. President Biden, decrying Israel’s “oppression of the Palestinian people.” She called on the U.S. to “address the root causes of the violence” by ending Israel’s “ever-expanding discrimination and systemic oppression.” She referred directly to the events of April.

High Commissioner, is the Council pursuing justice by putting at the head of its most important investigation an individual who has publicly lobbied governments to condemn and sanction one of the parties—and on the very issues that are the object of her inquiry?

High Commissioner, would you not agree that allowing this grave injustice to stand will not only undermine the credibility of the inquiry, but risk casting a shadow upon the reputation of the United Nations as a whole?

Justice, Justice shalt thou pursue.”
unwatch.org/un-rights-chie…

Read 7 tweets

Hillel Neuer

@HillelNeuer

Jul 14

BREAKING: Navi Pillay is resigning from the UN's permanent commission of inquiry on Israel, citing “age, medical issues and other commitments.” Her two colleagues are also resigning. Pillay was chosen for the post because of her visceral hate for Israel: unwatch.org/pillay-commiss…

2/ Commissioner Miloon Kothari, condemned for antisemitism by 18 states, may have been forced out. His letter to UNHRC chair Jürg Lauber, announcing his resignation effective Oct. 31st, refers to “the understanding we reached during our meeting last week.” unwatch.org/the-compendium…

3/ Commissioner Chris Sidoti, who says Jews “throw around accusations of antisemitism like rice at a wedding,” also announced his resignation—effective Nov. 3, like Pillay. However, he told the chair: “I am willing to accept reappointment to the Commission should you so wish...”

Read 4 tweets

Hillel Neuer

@HillelNeuer

Jul 13

BREAKING: Francesca Albanese acknowledges to Reuters that new U.S. sanctions against her will make it “extremely problematic” for her to interact with U.S. citizens, or to “move around.”

Harvard and Columbia will need to cease giving her research support. reuters.com/world/middle-e…

2/ Francesca Albanese is now on the sanctions list. Under U.S. law, it is therefore now illegal for Americans or U.S. entities to provide funds, goods or services to her. Criminal penalties for violations can include fines of up to $20 million and imprisonment of up to 30 years.

3/ According to official disclosures obtained by UN Watch, Francesca Albanese had been receiving support in the past two years from both @Harvard and @Columbia universities for her sanctioned activities. (See undocs.org/en/A/HRC/55/69… at 63 & undocs.org/en/A/HRC/58/70… at 63.)

Read 5 tweets

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