The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), a body hardly known for fairness toward Israel—or for its embrace of human rights—has named Penny Green, a professor of “law and globalization” at a London university, as its “special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories.” Tim Marshall comments:

[Green] supports the total boycott of Israel, wants Hamas de-listed as a terrorist organization, and has wondered why the British and Americans have not begun “bombing Israel for its massacres.”

So far, so routine in the extremist mainstream. To her credit, Green, unlike so many “human-rights activists,” stands up against abuses around the world and not just in one small part of it. She does, however, display an unhealthy obsession with the same place that others obsess over: Israel.

She is entitled to her opinion. However, surely anyone, even someone supporting these views, might understand that holding them disqualifies you from impartially judging the behavior of one of many parties involved in the situation. . . . The UNHCR’s own rules state that when selecting a candidate [for this job], impartiality and objectivity are of “paramount importance.”

Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages and defeating Hamas (the latter necessary to prevent further hostage taking) are to some extent contradictory, since Yahya Sinwar, the ruler of the Gaza Strip, will only turn over hostages in exchange for concessions. But Jacob Nagel remains convinced that Jerusalem should continue to pursue both goals:

Only consistent military pressure on Hamas can lead to the hostages’ release, either through negotiation or military operation. There’s little chance of reaching a deal with Hamas using current approaches, including the latest Egyptian proposal. Israeli concessions would only encourage further pressure from Hamas.

There is no incentive for Hamas to agree to a deal, especially since it believes it can achieve its full objectives without one. Unfortunately, many contribute to this belief, mainly from outside of Israel, but also from within.

Recent months saw Israel mistakenly refraining from entering Rafah for several reasons. Initially, the main [reason was to try] to negotiate a deal with Hamas. However, as it became clear that Hamas was uninterested, and its only goal was to return to its situation before October 7—where Hamas and its leadership control Gaza, Israeli forces are out, and there are no changes in the borders—the deal didn’t mature.