Sixty-eight U.S. Senators Request the U.S. Government’s Engagement to Reform the United Nations Human Rights Council.
On April 1, the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) closed its 49th session with the adoption of four resolutions condemning Israel. As a result, 68 U.S. Senators requested the U.S. engage with the HRC to ensure that the discriminatory treatment from the UN Human Rights Council towards Israel stops.
The HRC has a long history of disproportionate condemnation of Israel. “The Human Rights Council has attacked Israel with 95 resolutions. Compared to 142 against all other countries combined,” said H.E. Gilad Erdan, the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations.
These resolutions were described as disproportionate because none of them make any reference to the Hamas group or any mention of the attacks in which Israel has been the victim. Obviously, by ignoring this information, they are omitting Israel’s right to self-defense, according to Article 51 of the United Nations Charter[1].
Most importantly, the HRC has created a special commission of inquiry (COI) to investigate Israel, appointing “experts” that had made statements that “pre-assumes Israeli violations of international law rather than presuming innocence as is required.”
One of the main reasons why former President Trump withdrew U.S. membership from the HRC was its continuous condemnation of Israel, and, at the same time, staying silent on the hideous violations of human rights in countries like Venezuela.
“The council ceases to be worthy of its name,” Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN said in explaining the U.S. withdrawal. “Such a council, in fact, damages the cause of human rights.” But this was ignored by the Biden Administration as they renewed U.S. membership in the HRC.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized the HRC’s bias towards Israel but has not taken any actions to change the situation. For this reason, 68 senators sent the letter to request that the U.S. prioritize reversing the HRC’s discriminatory treatment of Israel and end the COI. Two other pieces of legislation were introduced in the House of Representatives, one to require certain actions relating to the United Nations Human Rights Council (United Nations Human Rights Council Reform Act). A second one is to provide for the abolition of certain United Nations groups (COI Elimination Act).
Concerned Women for America applauds the efforts of our lawmakers to stand for Israel and ensure that our taxpayer money will be used to help U.S. allies and not attack them.
[1] United Nations Charter. Signed on June 26, 1945. Article 51 “Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence [sic] if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence [sic] shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.” https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/chapter-7