UN Official Defends His Comparison of Israelis to Nazis

A UN investigator hasn't even begun his new job probing Israeli conduct in the Palestinian territories and he is already facing a firestorm of criticism. Richard Falk has been slammed for a comment he made last summer comparing Israel's actions in Gaza to Nazi policies. He defended the comments yesterday in an interview with the BBC.

Falk conceded his comparison was provocative but insisted it was necessary to shake up Israel and American supporters. Falk also drew parallels between Israel's military action in Gaza with China's reaction to Tibetan protests and the Sudanese government's support for janjaweed in Darfur. The Israeli government has considered barring Falk from the country when he takes up his post later this year. (More Richard Falk stories.)