Israel Matzav

And again: UN 'Human Rights Council' devoting disproportionate time to Israel

The United Nations 'Human Rights Council' will wrap up its current session on Thursday and Friday by voting on 14 country-specific resolutions. I am sure that you will all be shocked - just shocked - to hear that 'only' six of them deal with Israel.

With respect to Israel however, it has issued six resolutions. One resolution is on the Golan Heights, another on last May’s Gaza flotilla incident and a third on the Palestinian right to self-determination.

Two resolutions deal with the Israeli presence in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and the sixth is a resolution based on the work of the panel which monitors Israeli compliance with the 2009 fact-finding mission into Operation Cast Lead, otherwise known as the Goldstone Commission.

Four of the resolutions speak of illegal Israeli activity and human rights violations.

Votes on the resolutions come in the same week that Palestinians in Gaza launched a barrage of rockets against southern Israel and a woman was killed and 39 other people were wounded by a bomb at the Jerusalem Central Bus Station.

Within the resolution on the Goldstone Report on Gaza is a call by the UNHRC for the General Assembly to reconsider that report, which strongly attacks Israeli for grave human rights violations and possible war crimes, during its 2011 session.

It asks that the General Assembly refer the Goldstone Report to the Security Council for further action.

It further asks that the Security Council consider referring the situation in the “occupied Palestinian territories” to the International Criminal Court.

According to nongovernmental group UN Watch, which monitors the Human Rights Council’s activity, prior to its 16th session the council had approved 51 resolutions dealing with individual countries, out of which 35 were about Israel.

Given that 70% of the previous resolutions dealt with Israel, if all 14 pass, then less than half will deal with Israel. That would be an 'improvement.' Heh.

Labels: Gaza, Goldstone Report, Palestinians, United Nations Human Rights Council

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:50 AM