The UK’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Julian Braithwaite criticised the UN body’s “systematic institutional bias” against Israel and said that Hamas “bear principal responsibility” for the Gaza border violence last year.
Speaking at the UNHRC in Geneva today before the body voted on whether to adopt a report accusing Israel of human rights violations on the Gaza border last year, Mr Braithwaite said: “Hamas of course bear principal responsibility as their operatives have cynically exploited the protests, and we’re clear that Israel has the right to self-defence”.
23 countries voted in favour to adopt the report, nine voted to oppose it, and 14 countries abstained. The UK abstained against voting on the resolution to adopt the report, citing that it was not a part of the discriminatory Item 7. The UK voted against four other anti-Israel resolutions that were under Item 7.
Earlier this week, CFI Parliamentary Chairmen, Rt. Hon. Stephen Crabb MP (Commons) and Rt. Hon. The Lord Pickles (Lords), and CFI Honorary President Lord Polak CBE, wrote to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary to call on the UK to vote against all resolutions targeting Israel at this week’s session.
Mr Braithwaite said: “In 2017, the United Kingdom told this Council that we believe that the existence of a dedicated agenda item concerning Israel, Item 7, amounted to systemic institutional bias, and unless things changed that we would move to voting against all Item 7 resolutions. Moreover, we said that this Item is an impediment to dialogue damaging the prospects of a two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict”.
Mr Braithwaite added that the report omitted any investigation into the role played by Hamas: “Accountability must be pursued impartially, fairly and in a balanced manner. We did not and cannot support an international investigation that refuses to call explicitly for an investigation into all actors, including non-state actors such as Hamas”.
Click here to read the text in full.
Speaking in the House of Commons today, Middle East Minister Rt. Hon. Alistair Burt MP called the UNHRC report “flawed from the outset”.
Foreign Secretary Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP yesterday strongly condemned the UNHRC for its “discrimination” and has vowed that the UK will vote against all Item 7 resolutions.
Item 7 at the UNHRC is is reserved solely for Israel and the Palestinian Territories, meaning that no session at the UNHRC can take place without a specific discussion on this topic.
Writing in the Jewish Chronicle yesterday, the Foreign Secretary said: “A fair-minded observer would find it curious that, of all the situations in the world, only Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are permanently on the agenda of the United Nations Human Rights Council”.
Click here to read Foreign Secretary’s article in full.
CFI Vice-Chairman John Howell OBE MP in the House of Commons today criticised the UN for omitting scrutiny of Hamas in their report, asking “should not the UN also taken into account the flaming kites, the hurling of explosives, and the very clearly audible cries of ‘get closer, get closer’ that were issued by Hamas officials?”
