The United Nations Human Rights Council overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Friday calling on Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Only six countries voted against, and the resolution was adopted with 28 votes in favor and 13 abstentions.
When the results of the vote were announced, a round of applause erupted in the Security Council chamber, with many countries that supported the resolution happy and those that did not support it frustrated.
“The Human Rights Council has just adopted a resolution that addresses issues of accountability and justice,” Merav Elon Shahal, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters after the vote.
The ambassador told reporters that the resolution adopted by the Security Council clearly stated that “Israelis do not matter, the murder of Jews does not matter, the hostages do not matter, the rape of Israeli women does not matter”.
“Where does the responsibility lie for the Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism?” she asked.
The resolution calls on all countries to “cease the sale, transfer and transfer of arms, ammunition and other military equipment to Israel.” It demands that Israel immediately lift its blockade and all other forms of collective punishment on the Gaza Strip and “calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.”
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Bilal Ahmed, introduced the draft resolution on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He said the resolution was a response to “serious human rights violations” in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially the Gaza Strip, and “Israel’s disregard for international law.”
“The preamble reflects the Council’s serious concern about war crimes and crimes against humanity [occupied Palestinian territories] and [International Court of Justice’s] Determining that the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation face a legitimate risk of genocide,” he said.
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ibrahim Khreish, delivered an emotional speech to the Security Council ahead of the vote, denouncing the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
“We need you all to wake up and stop this genocide… being televised live around the world and killing thousands of innocent people. This has to stop,” he said.
Michelle Taylor, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, also believes that the conflict in Gaza “has caused too many civilian deaths.”
“Protecting all civilian life is both a moral and strategic imperative, and Israel is not doing enough to mitigate civilian harm. We continue to be gravely concerned about the unprecedented loss of life and the lack of adequate humanitarian assistance that deprives Gaza’s men, Women and children are on the verge of widespread starvation.”
Despite critical scrutiny of Israel’s war conduct, Taylor said the United States could not vote for the resolution because it contained too many “problematic elements.”
“For example, there is no specific condemnation of Hamas for carrying out the horrific attacks of October 7, nor is there any reference to the terrorist nature of these actions. … The text does not distinguish between hostages brutally kidnapped by a terrorist organization that has no regard for international law. ….and detainees who may be subjected to repeated sexual violence, and whose fates are regulated and governed by legal processes. Let me be clear: these groups are not equivalent,” she said.
More than a dozen countries spoke in support of the resolution. In addition to the United States, Argentina, Bulgaria, Germany, Malawi and Paraguay also voted against the measure. France abstained from the vote.
The Israeli ambassador expressed frustration at the lack of support from European countries, pointing to Belgium, Luxembourg and Finland as countries supporting the resolution not to condemn Hamas.
“This council has long abandoned the Israeli people and long defended Hamas,” Ambassador Shahar said. “It has become a shield for terrorists. It turns a blind eye to any act of violence against Israelis and Jews.
“This resolution is a stain on the Human Rights Council and the entire United Nations,” she said.
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