Navi Pillay, chairwoman of the standing investigation committee against Israel from the UN Human Rights Council, abandoned the helm of the group because of fear that the Trump administration's steps against her could prevent her from seeing daughter in New York, Israel Hayom can report.
Pillay, along with two additional members of the biased Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory resigned on Monday after the Trump administration chose to place sanctions on the UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese over her justifying of terrorism and other anti-Israel actions, including insensitive Holocaust comments.
Israel Hayom discovered that the main reason for the resignation is Pillay's concern that she won't be able to visit her daughter, Isvari Pather, who lives in New York.
Pillay, recognized for her substantial animosity toward Israel, was appointed by the Human Rights Council following Operation Guardian of the Walls to lead the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Through this work, Pillay has routinely presented findings to the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC) – collaboration that the Trump administration considers an "attack on America."
Consequently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed individual sanctions last week on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine recognized as a Hamas supporter, because of her ICC cooperation. Among other measures, she was prohibited from entering the United States.
Pillay maintained even stronger connections with the Hague tribunal. She supervised an 18-person UN team that gathered "evidence" for use against Israel. Pillay also journeyed to The Hague to meet the court's deputy prosecutor, Nazhat Shameem Khan – who coincidentally or not appointed Pillay to her position in July 2021.
Now the Trump administration has transformed the game's rules. Based on information Israel Hayom received from a Western source familiar with the details, Pillay worried she wouldn't be able to visit her daughter, Isvari Pather, and her grandson, who reside in New York.
Given this situation, and likely due to concerns about additional sanctions repercussions, Pillay and the two other committee members resigned from their roles Monday night.
The group UN Watch disclosed Monday night that the three filed resignation letters. Pillay, the investigation committee chairwoman, explained the unexpected step by noting considerations of "age, medical problems and the burden of several additional commitments." Her colleagues, Miloon Kothari and Chris Sidoti, also filed resignation letters.
"The resignation of all three commissioners is long overdue," said Neuer. "This was a commission born in prejudice — mandated to investigate only Israel, while ignoring Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Authority. Its members were selected precisely for their hostility to the Jewish state."
