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UN Human Rights Council rebukes Israel on Gaza
(VIDEO) Council adopts resolution presented by Arab, Muslim states demanding Israel lift week-long blockade of Strip. 'Israel's siege, raids in Gaza constitute war crimes,' PA envoy to UN in Geneva says
Reuters
GENEVA, Switzerland - (Video) The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday demanded Israel
lift its week-long blockade of
Gaza, rebuking the Jewish state for the third time for violations in the Palestinian territories since the forum was set up in 2006.
Video courtesy of infolive.tv
The 47-member Council adopted a resolution presented by Arab and Muslim states by a vote of 30 states in favor and one against with 15 abstentions, and one delegation absent.
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Mohammed Abu-Koash, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told the talks at a special emergency session called to address conditions the Palestinian territories, that Israel's siege and raids in Gaza constituted "war crimes".
"We hope the resolution will trigger international pressure and action to lift the Israeli siege and restore supplies of food, fuel and medicine, open border crossings and end repeated Israeli military attacks throughout the occupied Palestinian territory," he said.
Israel, facing frequent rocket attacks from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, tightened its border closure last week. It briefly halted fuel delivery to a Gaza power station and cut supplies to petrol stations, and blocked food and other humanitarian aid.
The Israeli army estimates about 250 rockets and mortar rounds have pounded Israel since last week. Israeli troops killed more than 30 Palestinians over the same period.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, in a speech on Wednesday, denounced Israel's "Disproportionate use of force and targeted killings" As well as Palestinian militants' firing of rockets into Israel.
Arbour, a former UN War crimes prosecutor, told the forum that international law forbids collective punishment and said Israel should lift all restrictions on aid intended for Gaza.
"All parties concerned should put an end to the vicious spiral of violence before it becomes unstoppable," she warned.
Delegations from the United States and Israel, which both have observer status at the Council, boycotted the two-day session, diplomats said.
Most of those abstaining from the vote were Western states, including France, Germany and Britain. UN Security Council members China and Russia supported the resolution, and Canada was the lone vote against it.
Syria's ambassador Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui, speaking on behalf of Arab states and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), accused Israel of turning Gaza into a "huge prison".
"The real aim of Israel from these aggressions and crimes is to deliberately abort all Arab and international efforts to invigorate the peace process," he charged.
Egypt's envoy Sameh Shoukry, speaking for African countries, urged Arbour's office to conduct more regular visits to the Palestinian territories and report more extensively "On all violations emanating from the Israeli occupation".
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