At UN podium, Iran dismisses ‘israel’s’ allegations, blasts regime for hate mongering, spreading lies

“The fact that an inherently evil entity, whose creation was totally based on occupation, massacre, terrorism, aggression and bloodshed, dares abuse the position of the Human Rights Council to spread lies and hatred is a clear manifestation of portraying evil, mischief and malice as normal [behavior],”Iran’s representative to the UN office in Geneva, Majid Torkaman, said on Wednesday at the 48th regular session of the Human Rights Council.

He pointed to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379, adopted in 1975, which ‘determine[d] that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination,’ and called on the UN Human Rights Council to reaffirm adherence to the resolution in the light of “the apartheid regime’s continued policies and crimes, because the reality is the same as emphasized in Resolution 3379: Zionism is synonymous with racism and racial discrimination.”

The envoy said the Palestinian nation has been subjected to various crimes, including “repeated massacre, ethnic cleansing, systematic torture, murder and arbitrary detention,” adding that the bestial measures amounted to war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity under international law, including the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid as well as the International Criminal Court.

The Iranian envoy particularly took a swipe at Israel for the mistreatment and detention of Palestinian children for pelting stones at Israeli soldiers for protesting “the ruthless monster of occupation and aggression.”

He also criticized the international community for its indifference and inaction concerning the Palestinian calamity, which he referred to as the “most heinous injustice in history,” adding that such an approach coupled with the support of some countries, especially the US, has made the regime feel completely immune to the consequences of its actions.

Earlier this month, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet hit out at the Israeli regime for using “excessive or entirely unwarranted” force against Palestinian people in the occupied territories in violation of international rules. 

In a verbal report at the 48th session of the Human Rights Council on September 13, Bachelet said that so far this year, 54 Palestinians, including 12 children, have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank — more than double last year’s figure.

“In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, I deplore continued and increasing instances of excessive or entirely unwarranted use of force against Palestinian civilians by Israeli Security Forces,” she said.

The 48th session of the Human Rights Council opened in Geneva on September 13 and will wrap up on October 8.

Back in May, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution that includes the urgent establishment of an international independent investigation commission to probe Israel’s human rights violations.

The commission will investigate “all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law leading up to and since 13 April 2021, and all underlying root causes of recurrent tensions, instability, and protraction of conflict, including systematic discrimination and repression based on national, ethnic, racial or religious identity,” said the resolution.