UNHRC adopts anti-Israel resolution; Israeli ambassador walks out of session in protest

GENEVA: The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted an anti-Israel resolution, and in response, the Israeli ambassador walked out of the plenary session in protest at the end of her speech, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

The UNHRC on Friday adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip at the end of the 55th Council session.

In the resolution adopted today, the UN condemned Israel for the war in Gaza but made no mention of Hamas or its crimes on October 7th. The resolution equates the abductees with detainees suspected of terrorist activity. It also goes against Israel's right to defend itself. Furthermore, the resolution provides legitimacy for Palestinian 'resistance' to the 'occupation,' calls for an arms embargo on Israel, and blatantly disregards the supply of weapons to Hamas by Iran and its allies.

Following the adoption of the resolution, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organisations in Geneva, Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar, left the hall in protest, the press release added.

The resolution -- passed with 28 of the council's 47 member states voting in favour, six opposed and 13 abstaining. The United States voted against the anti-Israeli resolution, as did Germany, Argentina, Paraguay, Bulgaria and Malawi.

Later today, the council is expected to adopt three more anti-Israeli resolutions, and the US is expected to vote against all of them.

Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organisations in Geneva, Meirav Eilon Shahar said, "All that matters to this Council and many of its members is condemning the State of Israel, and defending the Hamas terrorist organization as well as anyone else who seeks to harm and destroy us."

"The resolutions adopted today are a stain on the United Nations in general and the Human Rights Council in particular. It is a disgrace that the Council adopted a resolution that does not even mention Hamas or its brutal terrorist attacks of October 7. This Council could not even bring itself to condemn the brutal murder of more than 1,200 of our citizens or the abduction of 240 men, women, children and babies. A Council that chose not to condemn the acts of rape, mutilation and sexual violence committed against Israeli women, girls and men by Hamas," Shahar also said.

There are 47 member states in the United Nations Human Rights Council, according to geographic distribution. Currently, its members include Malaysia, Kuwait, Qatar, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Algeria, South Africa, Somalia, Cuba, together with the United States, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Romania, Georgia, Bulgaria among other states, the release also said.

The member states of the Council are elected for a term of 3 years and only members of the Council have the right to vote on the various resolutions.

The Human Rights Council was established in 2006 through a resolution of the UN General Assembly and it is known for its inherent discrimination against the State of Israel. Every year the Council adopts at least four anti-Israel resolutions.

So far, it has adopted 108 resolutions condemning Israel out of the 300 resolutions against specific states. The matter of Israel is raised disproportionately about other conflict zones around the world, and certainly to countries that are known human rights violators, such as Iran, Syria, Yemen, and Qatar.

Against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, preoccupation with Israel has increased significantly since October 7, Israel's Foreign Ministry also said.