UN calls on Israel to halt Gaza operation
Organization's Human Rights Council approves resolution demanding of Israel to suspend military action in Gaza; Council agrees to send mission to Palestinian territories to report on alleged human rights violations
The United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday agreed to send a fact-finding mission to the Palestinian territories to report back urgently on alleged rights violations by Israel.
The 47-member forum adopted a resolution, put forward by the Organization of the Islamic Conference composed of Arab and Muslim states, which also demanded a halt to Israel's "extensive military operations" against Palestinians.
The decision, announced by Council chairman Luis Alfonso De Alba of Mexico, was taken on a majority vote at the end of a two-day special session called by the OIC.
"It (the Council) decides to dispatch an urgent fact-finding mission ... on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories," the resolution read.
The vote was 29 delegations in favor, 11 against, with five abstentions and two delegations absent for the vote.
The European Union (EU) member states on the Council, including Britain, France and Germany, abstained. Finland, speaking on behalf of the EU, took the floor to say that the situation needed to be addressed in a "more balanced manner".
John Dugard, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the territories, will head the fact-finding team. In a speech to the talks on Wednesday the South African jurist accused Israel of violating the "most fundamental norms" of international human rights law.
Israel's military action, launched after an Israeli soldier was kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists, was a "disproportionate use of force against civilians," said Dugard.
"It is clear that Israel is in violation of the most fundamental norms of humanitarian law and human rights law," Dugard said in an address to a special session of the UN Human Rights Council.
