UN: Israel Denies Freedom Of Religion To...Jews

We are used to claims by the UN that Israel discriminates against Muslims and Christians--all the while ignoring or at best paying lip service to the Palestinian terrorism that makes Israel's measures necessary. Asma Jahangir, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief of the United Nations Human Rights Council pushes the envelope.

In a statement she made at the end of her visit to Israel, Jahangir constantly makes use of the acronym oPt--occupied Palestinian territory. She thus not only supports the claim that the territory in question is 'occupied' instead of 'disputed', but goes further in propagating the myth that Gaza and the West Bank actually belonged to the Palestinian Arabs prior to 1967, while in truth it was under the (illegal control) of Egypt and Jordan, and before that Great Britain and before that the Ottoman Empire--but never under the sovereign rule of the Arabs who lived in Palestine.

Jahangir also indulges in the use of the D-word, while paying lip service to the measures Israel is forced to take in defense of her citizens:

A major issue of concern for my mandate is the restricted access to holy places. Muslims and Christians are impeded from worshiping at some of their most holy places in the world due to an elaborate system of permits, visas, checkpoints and the Barrier. While the Israeli Government informed me that these restrictions are necessary for security reasons, I would like to emphasize that any measure taken to combat terrorism must comply with the States' obligations under international law, including freedom of religion or belief. These intrusive restrictions strike me as disproportionate to their aim as well as discriminatory and arbitrary in their implementation. My concern also extends to problems of access to holy places revered by Jews.

Nice touch that--tacking on the "problems of access to holy places revered by Jews." Now the question is who Jahangir is referring to when she is expressing concern about Jews being denied access to the Temple Mount. Is she referring to Israel preventing Jews from accessing the Temple Mount--or to the Wakf to which Israel gave control after the Six Day War and to whom Israel is acquiescing when Jews are denied access?

Jahangir still is not finished with Israel's treatment of Jews:

However, strands within the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths have experienced different forms of discrimination. There are concerns that the State gives preferential treatment to the Orthodox Jewish majority in Israel to the detriment not only of other religious or belief communities but also of other strands of Judaism. For example, conversion to Judaism within Israel is only recognised if performed by the Orthodox Rabbinate.

Jahangir is working very hard to pin anything she can on Israel.

Does she anywhere give as much attention to the Wakf?
Or to the limitations placed on non-Muslims by Saudi Arabia?

Technorati Tag: Israel.