Jasem Aljuraid, a Kuwaiti journalist and dissident living in Canada, addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 26, criticizing the council’s standing agenda item on Israel and urging members to end what he called a recurring “ritual” of condemnation.
Jasem Aljuraid, a Kuwaiti dissident and journalist living in Canada, criticized the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in remarks delivered in Geneva on March 26, according to an article published the same day by The Daily Wire.
In his address, Aljuraid focused on Agenda Item 7, the council’s standing agenda item titled “Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.” Critics of the item—including Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva and advocacy groups that monitor the council—have long argued that it is unusual because it places a dedicated, recurring Israel-focused debate on the UNHRC’s agenda at every regular session, rather than handling the issue only under broader country-situation debates.
The Daily Wire reported that Aljuraid asked council members, “I ask the UN, when will you end the ritual of condemning Israel?” and added: “Is it not time, instead, to learn from Israel how to defeat terror, defend free societies, and pursue peace?”
The same report said Aljuraid also disputed descriptions of Israelis as “colonizers,” telling the council: “A Jewish kingdom ruled in Judea for a thousand years. We, the Arabs, took this land.”
Aljuraid further linked Israel’s military confrontations with Hamas and with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to broader regional and international security, according to The Daily Wire, saying Israel was “freeing Gaza from Hamas” and that “what Israel is doing to the IRGC is a gift to humanity.”
The Daily Wire described Aljuraid as a former senior columnist for Kuwait’s Al-Qabas newspaper who was fired and later left Kuwait in 2022 after engaging with an Israeli journalist online and advocating normalization. Kuwait does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and has longstanding legal restrictions related to dealings with Israel under its boycott framework; The Daily Wire also reported that Aljuraid has been accused by opponents of being a “Mossad agent” and referred to Kuwait’s public prosecutor.
Aljuraid also highlighted what he called a regional imbalance in state representation, the report said, stating: “There are 57 Islamic countries and only one Jewish state, Israel.”
