UN Watch welcomed today’s sudden resignation of all three commissioners of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s permanent inquiry on Israel, calling it a watershed moment of accountability for those carrying out the UN’s institutionalized bias against the Jewish state.
“This week, the dominoes are falling,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch. “First, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the historic decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN’s pro-Hamas rapporteur, in wake of a massive campaign led by UN Watch. Now the architects of the UN’s anti-Israel inquisition are fleeing the ship. The tide is turning.”
Thank you, 🇺🇸@SecRubio. You just made the historic decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN's pro-Hamas rapporteur. Now the dominoes are falling. Frightened of also being sanctioned, architects of the UN’s anti-Israel inquisition are fleeing the ship. The tide is turning. https://t.co/QZlGt0EdV6
- Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) July 14, 2025
Navi Pillay, chair of the Commission of Inquiry (COI), announced her resignation citing “age, medical issues, and the weight of several other commitments.” However, Neuer said she seemed to be motivated by the sanctions.
Her colleagues, Miloon Kothari and Chris Sidoti, also submitted resignation letters, with Kothari referencing an “understanding” reached during a private meeting with the council president, suggesting that he was pushed out, likely for having been condemned by 18 states for antisemitism.
“The resignation of all three commissioners is long overdue,” said Neuer. “This was a commission born in prejudice - designed to target Israel, while ignoring Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Authority. Its members were selected precisely for their hostility to the Jewish state.”
Neuer noted that the resignations follow mounting international criticism:
In 2022, Miloon Kothari questioned Israel’s right to UN membership and evoked antisemitic tropes about Jewish control of the media-remarks condemned by 18 nations including the U.S., U.K., Germany, and France.
Chris Sidoti trivialized the issue of antisemitism, claiming that Jews “throw around accusations like rice at a wedding.”
Navi Pillay, chosen in July 2021 after she had lobbied government to “sanction apartheid Israel,” led a commission that generally turned a blind eye to Hamas terrorism and incitement, even after the October 7 massacre.
“This trio never should have been appointed,” said Neuer. “As documented by UN Watch, their legacy is one of distortion, demonization, and dishonor. Their departure is not reform, it’s damage control.”
UN Watch drew a direct line between the latest resignations and the political shockwaves from the U.S. decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur who has justified terrorism and been denounced for Holocaust inversion.
“Thanks to Secretary Rubio and the United States, the UN’s culture of impunity is starting to crack,” said Neuer. “Francesca Albanese was the tip of the spear in the UN’s war on Israel. Now that she’s been sanctioned, others are looking over their shoulders. The fear of accountability is finally setting in.”
UN Watch urged the UN Human Rights Council not to replace the three commissioners, but to terminate the COI altogether.
“Replacing one biased trio with another won’t solve the problem,” said Neuer. “This commission is irredeemably flawed-both in mandate and in execution. It must be dismantled. It’s not an inquiry, but an inquisition.”
UN Watch Campaigned to Sanction Albanese
UN Watch hailed the sanctioning of Albanese as a major victory for justice and the rule of law. The move comes after UN Watch led a sustained campaign demanding sanctions for Albanese, with letters to Secretary Rubio, UN chief Antonio Guterres and other officials, news interviews, social media, massive outdoor projections on billboards, and the support of more than 120,000 people who signed its petition calling on the United States to take action.
Meet the UN's impartial Pillay Inquiry:
✅ Navi Pillay - lobbies to “Sanction Apartheid Israel”
✅ Miloon Kothari - rants about “The Jewish Lobby”
✅ Chris Sidoti - says Jews “throw around accusations of antisemitism like rice at a wedding”More: https://t.co/Lbkei65XMt https://t.co/sOmMeM9a87 pic.twitter.com/SBGXVAGP9F
- Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) March 13, 2025
