New York, NY, February 28, 2008 … In response to "an unapologetically one-sided" report on the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called on the president of the U.N. Human Rights Council to publicly denounce the report and its author, John Dugard.

"Mr. Dugard's cynical abuse of his position as Special Rapporteur brings further disrepute to the Human Rights Council," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "We are outraged by this report, its unapologetically one-sided assessment of the situation and justification of Palestinian terrorism."

The January 21 report, "Human Rights Situation in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories" is the latest in a series of biased assessments of the situation by Mr. Dugard, a South African attorney and longtime Special Rapporteur on human rights in the West Bank and Gaza. Among the report's findings, Mr. Dugard outrageously concludes that Palestinian terrorism is the "inevitable consequence" of Israeli occupation, and that the humanitarian situation is comparable to apartheid South Africa.

In a letter to Doru Costea, President of the Geneva-based Council, the League called for him to "take the unprecedented step of criticizing from the podium" the report and to distance the council from its skewed findings at the earliest opportunity.  The report currently is available on the Council's Web site, but has yet to be formally presented to the world body.

"We know that you care deeply about changing the reputation and legitimacy of the Human Rights Council," wrote Mr. Foxman and Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair, in a letter to President Costea.  "We hope that you will find a suitable opportunity to publicly distance your presidency from Mr. Dugard in the interests of the Council's reputation and as a matter of fundamental justice."

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.