The Foreign Ministry said that Schabas’s appointment to head the panel proved that Israel cannot expect justice from this body.
“The report has already been written and the only question is who signs it,” the Foreign Ministry said.
In an interview with Army Radio, the Israeli envoy, Ron Prosor, expressed doubt regarding the legitimacy of the panel due to what is perceived by Jerusalem officials as a committee with a clear anti-Israel bias.
“Forming an investigatory committee headed by Schabas is like inviting ISIS to organize religious tolerance week at the UN,” Prosor told Army Radio.
According to Prosor, one of Israel’s major challenges on the diplomatic stage is the gap between the empathy displayed by European governments for Israel’s security predicament and the lack of understanding on the part of the citizenry. “Most European governments understand the challenges faced by Israel,” Prosor told Army Radio. “The public, meanwhile, sees the pictures. This discrepancy will eventually be closed, like in every democratic country. This will create quite a dilemma.”
“Whoever doesn't stand with Israel at the forefront in the fight against terrorism will eventually end up paying the price at their doorstep,” the envoy said.
The commission has been tasked with identifying those responsible for “violations of international humanitarian law,” and with holding the violators accountable and ending their impunity. It’s expected to deliver its report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in March, 2015.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this story.
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