Multimedia artist Jonathan Allen set up an unauthorized installation in front of the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City.

The flat screen displays a background on which splashes of blood are depicted, while the foreground displays flashing letters that say, “The Israeli security forces have deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children.”

The accusation refers to a recent report from the United Nations Commission of Inquiry that alleges that Israel is continuing its genocide against the civilians of Gaza by deliberately targeting children.

The report is riddled with problems. For example, the commissioners determined, using circular reasoning, that if any children died in an Israeli strike, then those children must have been targeted. The report also neglects to mention that Hamas uses its civilian population as human shields when fighting. What’s more, the report, which relies heavily on eyewitness testimony, fails to verify any of that testimony with corroborating evidence.

But it’s also important to note that the commission was established in May 2021 to investigate Israel in perpetuity, a unique project. All other commissions usually wind down within a year, once they issue a report of their findings. In addition, one of the commissioners, Chris Sidoti, boasts a record of antisemitic comments, most recently making the shocking assertion that every IDF soldier who served in Gaza should be tried for war crimes.

For these reasons, critics have characterized the report as a modern blood libel against the State of Israel.