More blatant disregard for rights

The US delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council boycotted this body’s deliberations in Geneva on Monday because on its agenda were discussions about Israel and Palestine.

The US boycott was decided before the council opened up the deliberations on the Israeli practices, with Washington prejudging the council’s discussions on Israel and their outcome before the US delegation had any chance to listen to what the other 46 members of the council had to say about Israeli policies and practices.

“The US strongly and unequivocally opposes the existence of the UN Human Right Council’s agenda item 7,” the US State Department announced, simply because it is about Israel, notwithstanding the merit of the complaints against Israel.

This US prejudgement is highly unfair and prejudicial.

The US went further, saying that it “will vote against every resolution put forth under this agenda item seven and is encouraging other countries to do the same”.

The council was expected to pass five draft resolutions against Israeli practices, but the US decided their fate before even examining them or deciding their merit.

Washington described the council as a biased body that blindfoldedly condemns Israel at every turn, not stopping for a moment to ask why so many members of the council vote against Israeli policies and practices rather routinely, when the answer is simple and straightforward: Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights have become a routine practice that requires routine condemnation and censure by the international community.

The council is now in its 34th regular session. After the US joined it in 2009, the number of resolutions passed against Israel went down to 40 per cent, and further decreased to less than 20 per cent in 2016. 

So much for US’ professed respect for human rights!

Sheltering the racist acts of an apartheid state does it no honour. Worse, it encourages perpetration of more such acts, for, Israel knows it has impunity for its deeds as long as the US aids and abets it.