Israel has called on the UN Human Rights Council to dismantle a commission investigating alleged rights violations in the Palestinian territories and Israel, accusing it of anti-Israel bias, according to a letter seen by Reuters. In the letter sent Wednesday (July 16), Israel’s UN ambassador, Daniel Meron, stated that the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, is discriminatory toward Israel.

Israel has frequently rejected the commission's findings, which have criticized Israeli military actions following its offensive on Gaza launched after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. The commission, created in May 2021 during earlier clashes between Israel and Hamas, has the authority to gather evidence potentially used in investigations by bodies like the International Criminal Court. "The Commission of Inquiry, both in its mandate and in the work of its members, is a clear example of institutional discrimination against Israel within the Human Rights Council," the letter said.

Council President Jurg Lauber received the letter, but spokesperson Pascal Sim clarified that only the Council’s 47 member states have the power to dissolve the commission. In March, the commission accused Israel of committing "genocidal acts" against Palestinians, a claim Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed as biased and antisemitic. Israel withdrew from the Human Rights Council in February.