August 6, 2009

“First, do no harm” is a watchword for physicians. It should probably be taped to the desk of whoever it was at the White House who approved a Medal of Freedom for former Irish president and human rights activist Mary Robinson.

No doubt Robinson has a strong track record as a feminist pioneer and as an effective advocate for the world’s poor and dispossessed in the face of marching globalization.

But she also served as United Nations high commissioner for human rights when its infamous Durban Conference on Racism devolved into a forum for anti-Israel and anti-Semitic demonstrations and issued a final document that equated Zionism with racism. In her tepid response to those events, Robinson didn’t just let down Israel and Jews. She did a disservice to a human rights community that deserves public forums untainted by hateful, one-sided, and distracting agendas.

If the White House remembered this and still bestowed the nation’s highest civilian honor upon her, that would be troubling; if they didn’t remember, that would be negligent. But let’s accept for a moment the idea that Obama’s team felt that her career in politics and advocacy shouldn’t be judged on the basis of one controversy. We still have to ask, Why now? With the United States and Israel at loggerheads over a settlement freeze, and American-Jewish leaders worried about the appearance of U.S. pressure on Israel, who needs another controversy? Not Israel, not the White House, and not the Jewish community.

The choice is questionable, and the timing stinks. The least the administration can do is make it clear that they understand the objections and repudiate her record on Israel.

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