Well that's the Hasbara version. Here's the reality, "My work for the PLO consisted of being sent five questions by email and providing a written response. I was given no documents by the PLO. I have had no relationship with it either before or after this brief request for an opinion in October 2012. I was not involved in advocacy or in campaigning for the PLO. I merely gave a technical legal answer to technical legal questions. There are many, many examples of judges sitting in cases where at some point in the past they were involved in providing legal advice to one of the parties. --William Schabas
Q A William Schabas No evidence I m biased against Israel The Canadian Jewish News
Then why hasn't he disclosed the questions that were so innocent if he has nothing to hide. If he dealt with the PLO in a professional manner then he is not fit to sit on any committee that could be seen as a conflict of interest. Would you like to be faced by a Judge who had once defended the other party in a court of law, or would you rightly claim conflict of interest.
His answer to the above:
"I did not apply for the job. I was approached by the UN to do it. There was no question of disclosure of previous activities, because my record was well-known within the UN as well as by the states that were consulted on my appointment, including Israel. Earlier in the year, when I was being considered as a candidate for special rapporteur on the occupied territories, Israel was quite active in its opposition to me. Israel knew all about my past and my activities. The record is public."
Q A William Schabas No evidence I m biased against Israel The Canadian Jewish News
And as a professional he should have refused point blank because of a conflict of interest. What would you say if the next person approached had done work for Israel in the same manner. Would you accept him as chair of such an important committee, or would you be demanding his removal because of his conflict of interest. When he was originally appointed to the post those who were unbiased asked why he was appointed with his track record of ANTI SEMITISM and BIAS towards Israel.
I'll let the man answer that for himself:
"The word “biased” gets thrown around a great deal in this discussion. Some people seem to think that it is the same thing as having an opinion that is contrary to their own. But bias refers to someone who is asked to provide an impartial judgment and who is incapable of doing this because of personal views. Someone without bias is someone who is capable of putting their personal views aside in order to reach an objective, neutral and impartial position. There is lots of evidence that, in the past, I have expressed views that do not correspond to those of the government of Israel. But I can only be accused of bias if it can be shown that I cannot detach myself from those views. Is there any evidence that I cannot? I don’t think so. I think most of those who have criticized me for “bias” really only want to have a commission composed of people with views that lean in their direction.
Q A William Schabas No evidence I m biased against Israel The Canadian Jewish News