The UK has joined the US in condemning an alleged anti-Israel bias at the UN, pledging to vote against issues on Palestine brought by the Human Rights Council.
Foreign Minister Boris Johnson yesterday urged the council to reform its treatment of Israel, objecting to the permanent Agenda Item 7 which deals with Israeli abuses in the Palestinian territories.
UK vows to vote against #Palestine at UN Human Rights Council – https://t.co/dGEF5awwgy via @MiddleEastMnt #UNHRC pic.twitter.com/WeiPbNiAzD
— al whit (@soitiz) June 19, 2018
Johnson said:
“We share the view that the dedicated Agenda Item 7 focused solely on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is disproportionate and damaging to the cause of peace, and unless things change we shall vote next year against all resolutions introduced under Item 7.”
Whilst some European states and Australia have also criticized Item 7 in the past, the Trump administration has raised the prospect of the US withdrawing from the council unless it is scrapped.
At Urgent Question on Gaza, I asked the Minister to explain how the UK can possibly continue to act as an honest broker, considering the decision to abstain on the UN Human Rights Council vote on Gaza, and instead calling on Israel to conduct an inquiry. https://t.co/0zRp0jw1pa
— Rushanara Ali (@rushanaraali) May 21, 2018
Last week, US diplomats told reporters on condition of anonymity that it appeared more a matter of when, not if, the pull out threatened last year by the US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, will happen. With some believing it could happen as early as this week.
#US Withdrawal Expected from #UN Human Rights Council over ‘Anti-Israel Bias’ https://t.co/6vV6TlZao2 @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/7da0xgyc6k
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 16, 2018
The US State Department said on Friday:
“As we have said numerous times, the UN Human Rights Council must be reformed to ensure it has the ability to realize its important mission.”
The US has already pledged to leave the UN’s cultural arm UNESCO in protest of its recent resolutions recognizing Palestinian heritage that they deemed “anti-Semitic”. Israel subsequently announced it would follow suit, having cut funding to the organization on multiple occasions, after the agency voted in favor of the Palestinians.
The US has also already said it will withdraw from the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) citing an anti-Israel bias. https://t.co/gAcbQ6Fzom
— #NodeProm (@BlockChainTEAMu) June 18, 2018
Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected the decision, claiming in a statement that the council’s decision proved once again that it was “a body with an automatic majority hostile to Israel dominated by hypocrisy and absurdity.”
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
