Officials from both the United States and Canada have called for the dismissal of Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, who earlier attempted to blame the Boston Marathon bombings on the U.S. and Israel.
Falkwrote in Foreign Policy Journal:
“The American global domination project is bound to generate all kinds of resistance in the postcolonial world. In some respects, the United States has been fortunate not to experience worse blowbacks, and these may yet happen.”
He also criticized U.S. President Barack for “succumbing to the Beltway ethos of Israel First.”
“Outraged by Richard Falk’s highly offensive Boston comments. Someone who spews such vitriol has no place at the UN. Past time for him to go,” U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice wrote on Twitter.
“The United States has previously called for Mr. Falk’s resignation for his numerous outrageous statements, and these comments underscore once more the absurdity of his service as a U.N. special rapporteur,” Erin Pelton, spokeswoman for U.S. mission to the United Nations, said in a statement.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, condemned Falk’s comments and called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to “immediately” remove Falk from his position.
“Once again, United Nations official Richard Falk has spewed more mean-spirited, anti-Semitic rhetoric, this time blaming the attacks in Boston on President Obama and the State of Israel,” Baird said in a statement.
“The United Nations should be ashamed to even be associated with such an individual.”
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said Wednesday that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon rejects Falk’s comments, which could undermine the UN’s credibility and work.
“The secretary general immediately condemned the Boston Marathon bombing and he strongly believes that nothing can justify such an attack,” Nesirky said.
The British mission to the UN also expressed its concern and noted that this is “the third time we have had cause to express our concerns about Mr. Falk’s anti-Semitic remarks. It is important to the U.K. that special rapporteurs uphold the highest standards in their work and we have twice previously made clear that remarks by Mr. Falk were unacceptable.”