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One of President Barack Obama's choices to receive the Medal of Freedom has buoyed the tension between the pro-Israel community and the Obama administration.

The White House announced that Mary Robinson will receive the prestigious honor at a ceremony Aug. 12. As United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Robinson presided over the first U.N. conference on racism, known as Durban I, that the U.S. and Israeli delegations walked out of after the conference became a forum for anti-Semitism. Robinson was also president of Ireland while Ireland held the presidency of the European Union, and documents later showed that the millions of dollars the EU donated to the Palestinian Authority during that time was used to fund anti-Israel terrorism.

"She presided over one of the most anti-Semitic events that the United Nations has ever sponsored and put forth," Gregg Rickman, who served as the first U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism from 2006 to 2009, told The Jewish State. "And for that, alone, it seems like a dubious honor."

The Obama administration has been under heavy criticism from pro-Israel groups and the Israeli public since the president demanded a complete settlement freeze including "natural growth" -- and gave a controversial speech in Cairo that was criticized for connecting the establishment of Israel with the Holocaust. Objections were also raised after Obama told a group of Jewish leaders that Israel needed to "engage in serious self-reflection."

Rickman, who was reached by The Jewish State shortly after the White House announcement, didn't speculate as to how Jewish groups would react, but reiterated that the honor is "not justified."

But Michael Rubin, senior lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Civil-Military Relations and editor of the Middle East Quarterly, said that in the Middle East perception can be more important than reality. By awarding the Medal of Freedom to Robinson, Rubin said the perception for Israel "is that Obama's giving them the big fat middle finger."

"While there are many people who have genuinely advanced human rights, Mary Robinson's contribution was to politicize the field to the point where things she touched lost credibility," Rubin said.

Benny Avni, who covered the United Nations for the N.Y. Sun and is now a columnist for the N.Y. Post, agreed. He said Robinson's U.N. human rights outfit was so discredited that then-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan ordered the commission to be disbanded and replaced.

"She was part of that crowd that looks at human rights violations when they occur in countries where human rights violations are being investigated by local people, such as the U.S., such as most of the Western countries, such as Israel," Avni told The Jewish State. "She was much softer on countries where human rights investigations are not even possible, such as Syria, such as Libya, such as Sudan, and so forth. She's part of that crowd, and I think there are people in the White House who are also part of that crowd and who said that's what human rights should be all about."

But selective human rights monitoring is exactly what Robinson's critics are engaging in, according to Columbia University's Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies Rashid Khalidi, who met Robinson when Robinson joined the Columbia faculty in 2004.

Reached by email in Ramallah, Khalidi told The Jewish State, "Frankly, there is really only one side to this kind of story: there are gross human rights violations and there are those who would cover up or deny that they exist, simply because they are perpetrated by people they favor."

Indeed, Robinson defended herself to the Irish Independent similarly, but in stronger terms.

"There's a lot of bullying by certain elements of the Jewish community," Robinson said. "They bully people who try to address the severe situation in Gaza and the West Bank. Archbishop Desmond Tutu gets the same criticism."

Tutu will also receive the Medal of Freedom at the Aug. 12 ceremony. Robinson told RTE Radio One that accusations that she tolerated anti-Semitism at the Durban conference are "totally without foundation, but when stuff is out on the Internet, I'm not quite sure what you can do."

Robinson's human rights work is in fact the reason, according to the White House, she is being given the medal, which puts her record at the center of the discussions.

"Mary Robinson has dedicated her career to human rights and working to improve an imperfect world," said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor. "As with any public figure, we don't necessarily agree with every statement she has ever made, but it's clear that she has been an agent of change and a fighter for good."

ImagineNations Group, a self-described global alliance of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, investors, financial institutions, and philanthropists cheered the selection of Robinson, who was a founding board member of the group's Middle East and North Africa youth investment partnership initiative.

"We're delighted to see Mary being recognized for her leadership and tireless service to the cause of human rights and as an advocate for young people worldwide," ImagineNations founder Rick Little said in a statement. "Having worked closely with Mary for a number of years and having witnessed her passion and dedication first-hand, this is a much deserved award. Mary's ambition for humanity is inspiring transformational social change across the globe."

That was echoed by New York Congressman Mike McMahon (D-13), a member of the congressional European Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, as well as the Friends of Ireland Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Ms. Robinson worked tirelessly not only for her country but to protect the human rights of all citizens," McMahon said in a statement after the announcement. "From her work as a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to her position now as president of Realizing Rights, the organization she founded, Ms. Robinson has remained a constant and committed voice in the human rights debate and has exemplified what it means to lead a life of service."

But Rubin said that characterization of Robinson's body of work doesn't hold up under close examination.

"In many ways, with the hindsight of history, Mary Robinson will be seen as someone who did more to harm human rights than someone who really advanced it," Rubin said, adding that the administration has gone for "star over substance" by picking Robinson.

The White House called Robinson (and her co-honorees) an "agent of change." "They have blazed trails and broken down barriers," the White House said in a statement. "They have discovered new theories, launched new initiatives, and opened minds to new possibilities."

Obama also added in a statement: "Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way. Their relentless devotion to breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens sets a standard to which we all should strive."

The Anti-Defamation League disputed that contention as it applies to Robinson.

"While Mary Robinson may have accomplishments to her credit, she also, unfortunately, has an animus toward Israel as evidenced by her tenure as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights," ADL Director Abraham Foxman said. "Rather than be constructive and act objectively on Middle East issues, she became a lead cheerleader for the Palestinian narrative."

Robinson defended herself in a 2002 interview with the Village Voice, saying that although there was anti-Semitism expressed at the Durban I conference, she was able to get the conferees to move past it.

She said the final document of the conference "was a remarkable declaration and program of action, which had purged out of it the kind of language that was causing all the difficulty. Durban achieved its objective."

Rickman said that Robinson "could have done more" than she did to fight the anti-Semitism at the conference, and that the Jewish community is aware of that fact, which will drive some of their opposition to her award.

Rubin said any administration's Medal of Freedom awardees list makes a political statement. To that extent, Avni said this particular award tells the public how important Robinson's outlook is to White House officials who wield some influence with the president.

"The bottom line is, Mary Robinson was a very clear leader of a certain crowd in the international community that is close to some of Obama's advisors," Avni said. "Whether those people are the ones who are closest to Obama's ear, I doubt that. But I'm sure they are fighting for that place, and sometimes they win and sometimes they lose. But in this case, I think that they probably won because nobody else cares about it."