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It is difficult to say that an organization that seems to have no purpose other than to promote hypocrisy could possibly be embarrassed by a report by one of its committees, but this one actually should. As noted by my friend Rabbi Micky Boyden of We Are For Israel here, the UNHRC commission had biases that made it and make it impossible for Israel to conduct any legitimate defensive measures regarding Gaza in its view. The problem, for those who will jump to the defense of the UNHRC, is that the UNHRC believes that Israel should not be able to defend itself against attacks coming from Gaza or the West Bank, or for that matter, anywhere at all. This is proven by the simple fact that it condemns every effort to stop violence by preventing the importation of weaponry.

We can continue to pretend that the UN is concerned with “disproportionate force” which in this case was not used, if we wish to do so. Yet anyone who understands what occurred on the flotilla or anyone who has even seen the BBC documentary on the events will tell you that it was only through extreme skill that only nine militants were killed. Or we can admit the truth of the matter, which is that the UNHRC would condemn Israel for using a wet noodle in response to attacks that kill its civilians because the wet noodle would make those trying to harm Israel uncomfortably wet.

I am not saying that Gazans are not suffering, they are. Nor am I saying that conflict and violence are not bad. I’m not arguing that Israel should use more force. What I would argue is that if indeed the people of Gaza would like to improve their lives, perhaps making peace with Israel would serve that purpose better than trying to break the blockade so as to import more and better weaponry. That the UN is not arguing this point exactly is demonstrative of its greatest failing, an inability to deal with reality, especially when it comes to Israel.

This report functionally undermines the ability of any nation to enforce its defense against those pledged to harm it and who are actively seeking arms to do so. The UNHRC believes that Israel has no “legal right” to blockade Gaza. This is beyond asinine. A nation has every legal right to enforce a blockade if such a blockade is necessary for defensive purposes. Clearly the importation of massive amounts of rockets and large scale ammunition would make it so necessary. The overt declaration of the flotilla as humanitarian was but a ploy, a lure, swallowed whole and with joy by the UNHRC. The medical supplies were not even usable as shown in BBC documentary. The flotilla’s purpose was clearly to break the blockade so as to allow future vessels to travel unimpeded, thus enabling them to deliver anything desired, including weaponry.

The only reason that ships need to reach Gaza directly are to deliver to Gaza items for which Israel would refuse entry over land, such as weaponry or militants. In fact, the action of trying to break such a blockade is an act of war no matter what the cargo.

I believe that rather than trying to reform the UNHRC through its radiant presence while watching the council undermine every value for which it theoretically stands, the United States should actively pursue dismantling the council, perhaps creating a new one for which participation requires that a nation be a democracy that does not discriminate against women or against religious or ethnic minorities. Otherwise, we can stop pretending that human rights apply to all human beings and that this council is anything but a forum for the pontification of values for which we do not stand as Americans and against which our nation has lost many a life in battle.

Hag Sameach, by the way.