UN passes resolution holding Israel responsible for war crimes
The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution calling on Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. Israel rejected the proposal, which was adopted on Friday (April 5), as "distorted information".
This information has been reported in the news agency Reuters.
According to the report, 28 countries voted in favor of the proposal. 13 abstained from voting. Six countries, including the United States and Germany, opposed the proposal.
The resolution emphasized the need to end impunity and ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
It expressed deep concern at reports of serious human rights violations, including potential war crimes and crimes against humanity, and serious violations of international humanitarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Israel's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Merav Ilon Shahar, accused the council of "abandoning the Israeli people for too long and protecting Hamas for too long".
"According to today's proposal, Israel has no right to protect its people," he said. Hamas, on the other hand, has the right to kill and torture innocent Israelis. A yes vote is a vote for Hamas.
The United States vowed to vote against the resolution, as it contained no condemnation of Hamas for the October 7 attacks or the terrorist nature of those actions. It said, however, that its ally Israel had not done enough to minimize civilian casualties.
Michael Taylor, Permanent Representative of the United States Council, said that the United States has repeatedly urged Israel to stop military operations against Hamas to avoid civilian casualties.