(Communicated by the Spokesperson of the Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN in Geneva)

The Permanent Representative of Israel was acutely dismayed by the statement of the spokesperson of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on 20 November 2012.

It is a highly unbalanced text, revealing a strong political bias at the expense of concern for the human rights of civilians.

The High Commissioner ignores the fact that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are deliberately failing to distinguish - at all times - between civilians and combatants, and taking no precautions or any possible measures to avoid the loss of civilian life and damage to civilian property in Israel.

Moreover, Hamas and its partners fire their rockets from densely populated areas in Gaza, using their civilian population as human shields. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are using public properties, such as communication centers, schools, mosques and sport stadiums as launching pads or operational centers.

In this context, the Permanent Representative of Israel wishes to draw attention to the extrajudicial and summary execution of six Palestinians in Gaza with total disregard to their human rights (20 November).

And yet, the High Commissioner directs her criticism and harsh language to Israel. There should be no doubt as to Israel’s commitment to its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law. The High Commissioner fails to distinguish between politics and human rights.

The High Commissioner should unequivocally condemn the terrorist activities of Hamas and its partners, and their total disregard of all precautions to avoid loss of civilian life and damage to property. In doing so, the High Commissioner would do justice to human rights, instead of whitewashing Hamas and its terrorist partners.