The United Nations Human Rights Council had three people in mind to investigate possible violations of the rules of war in Gaza. One of them was George Clooney’s fiancée, British-Lebanese lawyer Amal Alamuddin. Immediately after the UN announcement, the executive director of the advocacy group UN Watch, Hillel Neuer, questioned whether the UN was “trying to inject some Hollywood publicity into the process” by appointing Alamuddin.
Although qualified to serve on the committee — she has been appointed to a number of UN commissions including as adviser to Special Envoy Kofi Annan on Syria (this was prior to dating George Clooney) — Alamuddin announced that she was unable to accept the position on the Gaza investigation. But Alamuddin, despite not being able to participate, says: “I am horrified by the situation in the occupied Gaza Strip, particularly the civilian casualties that have been caused, and strongly believe that there should be an independent investigation and accountability for crimes that have been committed.”
