US lawmakers condemn UN Human Rights Council’s focus on Israel
Two senior U.S. lawmakers have strongly criticized the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for what they call an “overwhelming and disproportionate focus on Israel,” urging UN Secretary-General António Guterres to block an upcoming vote on a proposed investigative mechanism targeting the country.
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Two senior U.S. lawmakers have strongly criticized the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for what they call an “overwhelming and disproportionate focus on Israel,” urging UN Secretary-General António Guterres to block an upcoming vote on a proposed investigative mechanism targeting the country.
In a joint letter dated March 31, Rep. Brian Mast, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sen. James E. Risch, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, denounced the HRC’s push to establish an international investigative mechanism (IIM) exclusively focused on Israel.
“Already, Israel is the only country for which the HRC has established an entire agenda item dedicated solely to its existence, agenda item 7,” the letter states. “Moreover, an Israel-specific IIM, if established, would be in addition to the Commission of Inquiry (COI) established by the HRC ‘to investigate, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and abuses of international human rights law leading up to and since 13 April 2021.’”
The lawmakers argue that the COI has expanded its mandate beyond its original scope, accusing the HRC of an “insidious anti-Israel trend within the United Nations.” They further claim that such actions are part of a broader agenda to prop up anti-Israel efforts at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“This one-sided focus on Israel undermines the legitimate and genuine threat posed by real human rights abusers,” the letter reads. “This includes the Hamas terrorists who continue to hold dozens of hostages like American Edan Alexander.”
Mast and Risch warn that any UN member state or entity supporting an Israel-focused IIM could face the same consequences as the ICC, which has come under U.S. sanctions for what they describe as “blatant overreach and disregard for sovereign prerogatives.”
The letter comes as the HRC prepares to vote on the resolution in early April, a move that could escalate tensions between the U.S. and the UN’s human rights body. The Biden administration has yet to comment on whether it will take any diplomatic action to oppose the resolution.
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