Organisation’s spokesperson says Israel’s observer standing means it can not formally withdraw from the physique.
Israel says it’s withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), following within the footsteps of the United States, which introduced its resolution earlier this week.
In response to Thursday’s announcement by Israel’s overseas minister, UNHRC spokesperson Pascal Sim mentioned Israel has observer state standing inside the rights physique and, due to this fact, couldn’t withdraw from the council.
The Geneva-based council is made up of 47 UN member states, that are elected by different UN members to serve four-year phrases on a rotating foundation. The US can be at the moment not an elected member of the council.
On Thursday, Israeli International Minister Gideon Saar accused the UNHRC of anti-Semitism and mentioned his nation “joins the USA and won’t take part within the UNHRC”.
Saar added that the choice “was reached in mild of the continuing and unrelenting institutional bias towards Israel within the Human Rights Council, which has been persistent since its inception in 2006”.
Earlier, Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, accused the physique of “ethical failure”.
Francesca Albanese, the UN particular rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, mentioned Israel’s resolution was “extraordinarily severe” and “exhibits the hubris and the dearth of realisation of what they [Israel] have completed”.
“They insist in self-righteousness that they don’t have anything to be held accountable for, and they’re proving it to your complete worldwide group,” she added.
The UNHRC conducts periodic opinions of the human rights information of UN member states and can be liable for appointing human rights specialists to function impartial UN particular rapporteurs.
Israel has participated in periodic opinions that UN members should undergo the UNHRC. For a number of years, nonetheless, it has boycotted debates on the “human rights state of affairs in Palestine and different occupied Arab territories”.
Thursday’s resolution by Israel is the most recent in a string of confrontations it has had with the UN.
In October, Israel banned the UN Aid and Works Company for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which provoked widespread worldwide condemnation.
