The report, prepared by John Dugard, the U.N. Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, charges that Israel's security fence was being built "… to create facts on the ground amounting to de facto annexation." While the report mentions that Israel's security concerns "cannot be denied," it calls on Israel to limit "the violation of human rights in the name of counter-terrorism."



The report concludes: "The construction of the wall within the West Bank and the continued expansion of settlements, which, on the face of it, have more to do with territorial expansion, de facto annexation or conquest, raise serious doubts about the good faith of Israel's justifications in the name of security." Israel does not recognize Mr. Dugard's mandate and did not cooperate with him in the preparation of this report.



Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:



This report is fundamentally political and biased in its suppositions, omissions and conclusions. John Dugard shockingly alleges that Israel has deceitful and nefarious intentions in the building of its security fence, with the real goal being the annexation of Palestinian land. Only grudgingly mentioned is the fact that the Israeli government has felt compelled to build this fence in order to protect its civilian population from ongoing terrorism.



Mr. Dugard's apparent eagerness to ascribe Israel's motivations to conquest and annexation, while dismissing Israel's position that such a barrier will protect its population, serves to confirm questions raised about Mr. Dugard's objectivity and professionalism. Indeed, this report is only one more example of the extreme one-sided bias of the UN Commission on Human Rights and its specialists.



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