Britain warns UN that anti-Israel bias must end after embargo call
THE BRITISH government has attacked the UN Human Rights Council’s agenda on Israeli actions in the West Bank, saying “little has changed” since its condemnation of bias against the Jewish state a year ago.
The UK delegation voted against two out of five resolutions on Israel which were raised at the 37th session of the Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva last Friday.
The first was a motion calling for withdrawal from the Golan Heights while the second called for an embargo on arms sales to Israel.
But UK diplomats supported a resolution urging a return to the pre-1967 borders of the state of Israel, as well as one on human rights. Each of the four resolutions, along with one calling for the halt of settlement activity, were passed by the 47-member body. They were presented by the countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation under “Item 7”, which requires a report on Israeli actions in the West Bank each time the panel meets.
Israel is the only country that has a dedicated agenda item at the council, a mechanism that the United States and the UK have criticised.
Last year, Britain said it would vote against all future UNHRC resolutions on Israel’s conduct in the occupied territories until the body ended its “disproportion and bias” against the Jewish state.
Diplomats said the resolutions’ credibility were “repeatedly undermined” by being tabled under Item 7, adding that this “cannot continue”.
But they added that votes against the resolutions were not against the “importance of accountability and justice in the Occupied Palestinian Territories”. Instead they were a rejection of the “disproportionate focus on Israel”.
The British delegation added: “The disproportionate number of resolutions against Israel and the existence of a dedicated agenda item (Item 7) that singles out Israel does little to advance dialogue, stability or mutual understanding. “Last year, for these reasons, we placed this Council on notice. We said that if this disproportionate focus remained, we would adopt a policy of voting against resolutions concerning Israel and the Occupied Territories. Regrettably, we have seen very little change. Therefore, we will again vote against the Syrian Golan resolution and, for the first time, the Accountability resolution. Unless things change, we will move to vote against all resolutions.”
Jonathan Arkush, President of the Board of Deputies, said he was “proud of the UK government”, adding: “Once again, countries with the worst of human rights records have sought to pass motions that abuse the platform of the UN by attacking Israel and attempting to distract from their own disgraceful conduct.”
James Gurd, Conservative Friends of Israel executive director, said: “The UK’s re-enforcement of its decision to put the UN Human Rights Council on notice for its repeated bias against Israel is to be applauded.
The United States and Australia, a new member to the UNHRC, were the only nations to oppose each of the five motions, echoing UK concerns on Item 7.
The US, which has assumed an antagonistic position towards the UN since the presidency of Donald Trump, said it would continue to evaluate its membership of the UNHRC.
Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, said: “When the Human Rights Council treats Israel worse than North Korea, Iran, Syria, it is the Council itself that is foolish and unworthy of its name. It is time for the countries who know better to demand changes.
“Many countries agree that the Council’s agenda is grossly biased against Israel, but too few are willing to fight it.”