The UN Human Rights Council
Photo: AFP
Israel accuses UN rights forum of bias over Palestinians
Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva Aviva Raz Shechter says UN Human Rights Council treating Israel unfairly in reaching 'one-sided, biased and political resolutions'; 'Theatre of the absurd cannot go on forever,' Shechter cautions.
Israel accused the United Nations (UN) on Tuesday of continuous discrimination against it over its treatment of Palestinians and called for reforms of its human rights body.
The Human Rights Council's convened to discuss Israel's record came after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem last month as the capital of Israel, angering Palestinians, Middle East leaders and world powers.
Aviva Raz Shechter, Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told the Human Rights Council that her country had always stood up for human rights and democratic values.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Aviva Raz Shechter said the UN Human Rights Council's 'theatre of the absurd cannot go on forever' (Photo: AFP)
"It has done so while facing serious threats to its security, and while needing to integrate diverse communities and religious groups," Shechter told the Geneva forum.
The Council has taken a strong position against Israel's presence in territories seized in the 1967 Six Day War, its treatment of Palestinians there, and its building of Jewish settlements.
Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005. Most countries consider settlements—in areas of the West Bank and Jerusalem the Palestinians see as part of an eventual independent state—to be illegal, but Israel disputes this and continues their expansion.
An "unparalleled number of one-sided, biased and political resolutions adopted regularly by the automatic majority of its members testify not only to the unfair treatment of the State of Israel, but also to the deficiencies of the Council itself and its agenda," Schechter said. "This theatre of the absurd cannot go on forever."
US Ambassador to the UN Haley previously said the US was reviewing its participation in the international body due to its inherent bias against Israel (Photo: AP)
Washington says the Council is stacked with opponents of Israel and US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told the Council last June that it was reviewing its participation given what it sees as its "chronic anti-Israel bias".
Israel considered its relations with the Palestinians to be "of the highest priority" and it would continue to seek a lasting solution that would enable the two peoples to live side by side in peace and security, she said.
Jordan's diplomat Akram Harahsheh, speaking first in the three-hour debate, condemned what he said were "attempts to prejudge the identity of occupied Jerusalem" and called on Israel to withdraw from all territories "occupied since 1967."
