The latest newsletter from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies takes direct aim at the new UN Human Rights Council. If this is of interest to you, we recommend you also take a look today's editorial in the Chicago Tribune and Monday's editorial in The Washington Times.
FDD writes that the newly "reformed" UN Human Rights Council (the U.S., Israel, the Marshall Islands and Palau were the only nations to vote against its creation) failed to adopt a single statement for the victomes of gross atrocities in Darfur in its first session from June 19-30, but made time to pass one country-specific resolution against Israel (Resolution A/HRC/1/L.15).
In Freedom House's annual rankings, on a scale of 1 as most free and 7 as least free, Israel received a ranking of 1 for political rights, and 2 for civil liberties, and was characterized as "free" on the freedom rating scale. By contrast, the sponsors of this resolution, with their respective scoring, included: Cuba (7-7-not free), Iran (6-6-not free), Libya (7-7-not free), and Syria (7-7-not free).
Additionally, on July 5, upon the request of the "Arab Group," the Council convened its first-ever special session to address "the human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory caused by the recent Israeli military operations against Palestinian civilians."
At the end of the special session, the Council passed a resolution by a vote of 29-11-5, which dispatched a fact-finding mission to the area, expressed grave concern at the human rights violations caused by the Israeli "occupation," including the current extensive Israeli military operations, and demanded that Israel "abide scrupulously by the provisions of international humanitarian law and human rights law."
The resolution makes no mention of other violations of human rights laws, such as the rockets being firing into Israeli cities or the incursion into sovereign Israeli territory for the express purpose of killing and/or abducting Israeli soldiers -- the acts which precipitated this most recent outbreak of hostilities.
Comments