The UK sat on the fence in a vote calling for an arms embargo against Israel, but voted against all three resolutions under Agenda Item 7.
Whilst Russia was condemned in only one resolution by the UN Human Rights Council for its invasion of Ukraine, the global body condemned the Jewish state in four resolutions during the latest round of Israel-bashing.
Israel was the only country that the UNHRC censured multiple times, whereas countries with appalling human rights abuses such as North Korea, Iran, Belarus, Myanmar, Nicaragua and Syria only received one resolution each.
One of the four resolution texts called for an arms embargo against Israel, and was approved in a 37-3 vote, with seven abstentions. The UK abstained and all European Union countries supported the text, including France and Germany.
This effectively means that those countries in favour objected to the sale of arms to Israel.
It urged “all states to refrain from transferring arms when… they assess that there is a clear risk that such arms might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations or abuses of international human rights law or serious violations of international humanitarian law.”
The other three resolutions were voted under Agenda Item 7, a controversial mandated session that is dedicated solely to debating Israel’s actions. This is despite the UNHRC not holding any other mandatory session singling out any of the 193 member states.
Of the three Agenda Item 7 resolutions, one condemned Israel’s settlement activity and called for a boycott of settlement products. The second called for the Palestinian people to self-determination. And the third asked Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights. All three passed, with the latter receiving the least support.
The UK stood with Israel by voting against all three resolutions. This reflects the commitment the UK government previously made in protest against the anti-Israel bias by the Council after calls, including those made by CUFI, urging the UK to make a stand against the bias. Whilst it is good to see the UK keeping their word and standing with Israel in this way, it is disappointing that the UK still abstained in the separate resolution outside of Agenda Item 7.
When it comes to Israel, Ambassador Meirav Eilon-Shahar said, the council was an “echo chamber of fantasy and hatred against Israel.
“The problem with this echo chamber is that no reality comes in but certainly the hatred seeps out,” she said.
US Ambassador to the UN Michele Taylor said that the Biden administration was “disappointed that [UNHRC] member States continue to disproportionately single out Israel and are dismayed by the many repetitive and one-sided resolutions that run year after year.”
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