An embattled UN rights expert who probes Zionist conduct towards Palestinians on Tuesday rejected calls to step down, saying his opponents were trying to silence his criticism of the Jewish entity by labeling him anti-Semitic.

An embattled UN rights expert who probes Zionist conduct towards Palestinians on Tuesday rejected calls to step down, saying his opponents were trying to silence his criticism of the Jewish entity by labeling him anti-Semitic.

"I don't intend to resign, and there doesn't seem to be any formal initiative that is seeking my dismissal," Richard Falk told reporters, a day after calling for an international investigation of the Zionists’ treatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Falk, an 82-year-old American who is an emeritus law professor at Princeton University, has been the UN Human Rights Council's monitor for the Palestinian territories since 2008.

He rejected claims of anti-Semitism, saying they were "hurtful" and "completely malicious", given that he is Jewish himself.

"It makes it appear as if criticizing Israel is tantamount to what everybody agrees to be objectionable, which is anti-Semitism. I'm not willing to be intimidated in this way," he said.

"The attack on the messenger is a way of diverting attention from the message."

Falk said his remarks were "spun" by opponents, that he had condemned the Boston attack as "terrorist criminality", and that his goal was to examine the roots of antipathy towards US policies.

"I've criticized the US frequently, and I don't feel I'm anti-American," he said.

"Why do I keep getting into trouble? It's because of my role in trying to speak honestly about the situation that Palestinians are facing under this condition of prolonged occupation," he added.

Falk has also come under fire for claims of the so-called ‘anti-Israel bias’ from UN Watch, a lobby group affiliated with the American Jewish Committee.