Resignation of UN commission on Israel-Palestine not linked to fear of sanctions, say members

The resignation of the United Nation’s commission of inquiry on Palestine is unrelated to fears of sanctions by the US government or any other external pressures, panel members have told Middle East Eye.

The commissioners' accounts stand in stark contrast to reports this week that linked sanctions brought by the administration of US President Donald Trump against UN expert Francesca Albanese with their back-to-back resignations.

They also come as Israel, which has regularly criticised the commission's findings, called on Friday for the body to be scrapped entirely, accusing it of bias.

But commissioners have told MEE that their decisions were made internally, before the sanctions were put on Albanese.

“The resignations are not linked in any way to anything outside whatsoever," Chris Sidoti, an Australian international law expert and commission member who resigned, told MEE.

he three-member commission was established in May 2021 by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council (HRC) with a permanent mandate to investigate international humanitarian and human rights law violations in occupied Palestine and Israel since April 2021. 

Earlier this month, the three commissioners submitted their resignations, set to take effect in November, with the completion of the commission’s programme for 2025. It was the first time since the establishment of the HRC in 2006 that all members of a UN commission have jointly resigned.

Read more: Resignation of UN commission on Israel-Palestine not linked to fear of sanctions, say members