Israel boycotts UN Human Rights Council, citing anti-Semitism concerns
Israel will not participate in the sessions of the UN Human Rights Council, accusing it of promoting anti-Semitism, reported Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that his country would not participate in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions. Saar accused the institution of focusing on attacking Israel and spreading anti-Semitism instead of promoting human rights.
Saar emphasized that the Council has adopted over 100 resolutions condemning Israel, which constitutes more than 20 percent of all resolutions issued by the institution. This is more than the combined number of resolutions against Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela.
U.S. reaction
Israel's decision coincided with a similar step by the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump announced that American representatives would not participate in the Council's sessions.
Council spokesperson Pascal Sim reminded that Israel, like the United States, has observer status and is not a member of the Council. Israel participated in human rights evaluations but frequently boycotted sessions concerning the situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.
Reaction to Israel's decision
In response to criticism, Council spokesperson Pascal Sim emphasized that Israel, like the United States, has only observer status and is not part of the group of 47 member states. Therefore, Israel cannot withdraw from the Council.
Israel has participated in all evaluations of the human rights status that UN states should undergo. At the same time, it has frequently boycotted Council sessions when the topic of debate was the "state of human rights in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories."
