OHCHR slams 'propaganda' against the UN
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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights states that the UN has become a "lightning rod for manipulative propaganda and a scapegoat for policy failures."
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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk speaks at a news conference in Khartoum, Sudan, November 16, 2022. (AP)
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights denounced on Monday disinformation and other attacks that strive to "undermine the legitimacy" and work of the United Nations and other institutions, labeling them as "profoundly destructive."
At the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's main annual session, Volker Turk bashed widespread "disinformation that targets UN humanitarian organizations, UN peacekeepers and my office".
"The UN has become a lightning rod for manipulative propaganda and a scapegoat for policy failures," "This is profoundly destructive of the common good, and it callously betrays the many people whose lives rely on it," he stressed.
During his opening speech, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights emphasized that the United Nations was "uniquely equipped to enable states to discuss and resolve pressing global issues," highlighting that "this convening power is particularly vital now when the magnitude of conflict, planetary peril, and digital transformation requires urgent solutions."
He pointed to "the pain and the slaughter of so many people in the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti and so many other places around the world" which he described as "unbearable".
Volker further indirectly referenced the recent attacks on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, amid Israeli allegations claiming that some UNRWA staff members have "ties with Hamas."
"UN humanitarian agencies assist hundreds of millions of people to stay alive," Turk stressed.
US intel report fails to provide proof of Israeli claims against UNRWA
A new report by the US intelligence reveals that the latter evaluated the Israeli claims about the alleged involvement of staff members at the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) on October 7 and gave it a “low confidence” assessment, The Wall Street Journal stated on February 22, citing officials familiar with the latter.
Sources revealed that the National Intelligence Council (NIC), a group of veteran intelligence analysts, worked on the four-page report, which was circulated within the US government last week.
The Intelligence Council develops and sustains intelligence and information-exchanging relationships with international, military, domestic, and private sector partners to boost intelligence-related communications. Its authority to conduct such activities is governed by many laws and regulations, mainly "Executive Order 12333, United States Intelligence Activities," which was amended in 2008.
The order specifies strategic goals and defines roles and responsibilities within the IC, while also "affirming the Nation’s commitment to protect Americans’ civil liberties and privacy rights in the conduct of intelligence activities."
The US intelligence report's “low confidence” assessment emphasizes that the intelligence officials find "Israel’s" claims that a dozen UNRWA employees took part in the attacks "plausible", yet no stronger confirmation can be made for the lack of independent evidence to back them.
They also failed to corroborate "Israel’s" claims alleging that "10% of UNRWA staff have ties to Hamas."
