Israel has denounced a resolution which called for her to be held accountable for possible war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
This resolution was passed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC),a 47-member body on Friday, 5th April.
According to a statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Meirav Eilon Shahar, permanent representative of Israel to the UN in Geneva, accused the UNHRC of having “long abandoned the Israeli people and defended Hamas”. He further berated the council for adopting a resolution that does not even mention Hamas or its brutal acts on Oct. 7.
He continued, “According to the resolution before you today, Israel has no right to protect its people, while Hamas has every right to murder and torture innocent Israelis,” she said ahead of the vote. “A vote ‘Yes’ is a vote for Hamas.”
Twenty-eight countries voted in favour, 13 abstained and six opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany. The adoption prompted several representatives to the Council to cheer and clap.
It also expressed serious concern at reports of serious human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It therfore stressed the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity.
The Council, which meets several times a year, is the only intergovernmental body designed to protect human rights worldwide. It can authorise investigations of of countries’ human rights records and effect scrutiny.
