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The COI has pointed fingers at three Israeli officials for purported genocide, yet on Monday, COI member Chris Sidoti conveyed to the media, “numerous declarations by Israeli political and civilian authorities advocate for genocide, alongside remarks by some media figures in Israel that have been promoting similar views.”

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, did not respond to questions on whether Sidoti’s remarks were an attack on Israel’s media. 

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu hold signs as he addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.  (Pamela Smith/AP Photo)

In response to press questions about the COI report, Guterres said that “it is not in the attributions of the Secretary-General to do the legal determination of genocide. That belongs to the adequate judicial entities, namely, the International Court of Justice.” Guterres said, “the truth is that this is something that it is morally, politically, and legally intolerable.” 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a State Department spokesperson condemned the world body for the report: “Accusing Israel of genocide is the height of hypocrisy. Oct. 7 was a genocidal event undertaken by a terrorist organization with openly genocidal ambitions. Israel went to war in self-defense and has consistently taken steps to minimize civilian casualties. That is not a genocide. This kind of equivocation by the U.N. is further evidence of its moral bankruptcy.  

The spokesperson confirmed that the U.S. did not provide funding to the COI, and would not preview sanctions against its members, but noted, “Ensuring that foreign visitors to the United States do not pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety remains a paramount priority of the U.S. government. Due to visa confidentiality and other considerations, we do not have anything to announce regarding these specific cases.”

Bayefsky, however, said that while “U.S. law withholds funds for the COI, but clearly it has not had the intended impact.” She argued it is “high time” to do a “lot more to terminate the dangers that the U.N. and its COI pose to both the United States and Israel.” 

A spokesperson for the COI did not respond to questions from Fox News Digital about its report.