A recent report accuses Israel of committing “the crime against humanity of extermination” and restricting religious freedoms.

The U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel (COI), issued a scathing 19-page report.

A summary of the report states that the COI “examines violations of international human rights law, international humanitarian law and possible international crimes relating to attacks against educational facilities and religious and cultural sites.” Nonetheless, the COI seems to be more critical of Israel than of Palestinian authorities.

The COI’s conclusion presents 13 recommendations for Israel, two for “the de facto authorities in Gaza,” two for “the Government of the State of Palestine,” and two for all U.N. member states.

The report has already ignited controversy, with the U.S. mission and legal experts voicing concerns about its content.

Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and President of Human Rights Voices, informed Digital that “The latest report from this U.N.’s kangaroo court is a frightening indication of the antisemitism and incitement to violence spread by the United Nations on a global scale.”

Among numerous accusations against Israel, the report highlights claims that Israel restricts religious freedoms, citing its management of holy sites in Jerusalem. The COI noted in its report that Palestinian worshipers were “subjected to increased security checks, checkpoints, harassment and assault, and criteria, linked to age, gender and place of residence, have been applied by Israeli authorities to restrict which Palestinians are allowed to enter” the Temple Mount. The commission further alleges that a “religious leader” was apprehended soon after Oct. 7 due to a sermon he delivered at the mosque, without detailing the sermon’s content.

Moreover, the commission also expressed concern that “extremist Jews and right-wing politicians” were allowed “on multiple occasions to enter the site with a police escort, pray and cause provocation, despite a long-standing prohibition against Jewish prayer.” The COI seemed to object more to Jews praying than to the prohibition on their worship, despite asserting its condemnation of restrictions on religious freedoms.

Bayefsky told Digital, “They claim Jews exclude non-Jews from religious sites when the exact opposite is true. Only Israel protects freedom of religion for Christians, Muslims and Jews, while Jews have been banned and Jewish religious sites have been systematically trashed by Palestinian Arabs for a century.”

Responding to a Digital inquiry for comment, a State Department spokesperson stated that the U.S. “firmly” opposes “this COI’s open-ended and vaguely defined mandate” and does not “support its involvement in investigating the current conflict given our reservations about its structure and approach.”

The spokesperson further added, “To be clear, Palestinians are going through sheer hell in this conflict and a lot of that is because Hamas has put them in an impossible situation. We’ve been clear that Israel has a right to take action against Hamas, but we’ve also been just as clear that Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians.”

Elsewhere in the report, the COI observes that the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) recorded 42 instances between October 7, 2023, and March 15, 2024, where “parties to the conflict” interfered with its schools.

In reply to a Digital request for comment and clarification regarding Hamas’s use of its schools, UNRWA reaffirmed its condemnations of “any party to the conflict” utilizing its facilities for “military or fighting purposes.”

A spokesperson for UNRWA informed Digital that “Since the start of the war, [UNRWA] condemned the use of UN facilities by any party to the conflict for military or fighting purposes. We have repeatedly called for independent investigation and accountability for the blatant disregard of UN staff lives, premises and operations.” The spokesperson added, “We reiterate our call on all parties to the conflict to respect the sanctity and neutrality of UN installations.”

Although UNRWA did not directly confirm whether Hamas utilized its facilities, the commission stated that Israeli forces were responsible for “the majority of harm to educational facilities.” While the commission acknowledges Israel’s assertion that Hamas has operated from these schools, it also notes that the terror organization “contested” the allegation.

Among its recommendations for Israel, the commission urges Jerusalem to “cease the use of educational facilities and cultural sites for military purposes.” It additionally advised that “de facto authorities in Gaza” — Hamas — “cease using civilian objects for military purposes.”

The commission also advocates for “effective, adequate and prompt remedy for victims of human rights violations, including surviving family members,” yet it makes no comparable demands of those responsible for atrocities committed on October 7.