Hold Israel accountable for possible war crimes: UNHRC

GENEVA, April 5

The United Nations Human Rights Council (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, although Israel dismissed it as a “distorted text”.

Twenty-eight countries voted in favour, 13 abstained and six opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany. The adoption prompted several representatives to the council to cheer and clap.

The resolution stressed “the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity”.

It also expressed “grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, accused the council of having “long abandoned the Israeli people and long defended Hamas”.

“According to the resolution before you today, Israel has no right to protect its people, while Hamas has every right to murder innocent Israelis,” she said. “A vote ‘yes’ is a vote for Hamas.” Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi welcomed the vote but complained that some states had not backed it. — Reuters

India, 12 other nations abstain from voting

• India voted in favour of the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution supporting the “right to self-determination for Palestinian people”, but it abstained from voting on the resolution on the “human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice”
• A total of 13 countries, including India, the Dominican Republic and Japan, abstained from voting on the resolution on the “human rights situation”, 28 countries supported it and six voted against the resolution

Aid workers’ killing: Israel sacks 2 officers

Tel Aviv: The Israeli military on Friday said it had dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army’s rules of engagement.