Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., June 17, 2008 Sivan 14, 5768 | | Israel Time: 12:37 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Israel's UN envoy Dan Gillerman. (AP Archives)
Last update - 11:28 07/11/2007
Israel: UN Human Rights Council 'morally bankrupt'
By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Human Rights Council 

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations harshly criticized the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, saying its repeated focus on Israel had rendered it "morally bankrupt."

During a session of the UN Third Committee devoted to human rights Gillerman lashed out at the Human Rights Council's "ongoing practice of singling out Israel," while ignoring human rights violations in other countries.

The council vote in June to make Israel's actions a permanent item on its agenda.
Advertisement
"The council is morally bankrupt," Gillerman said, adding that it is ruled by "an immoral automatic majority of some."

The Human Rights Council, based in Geneva, was re-established two years ago by then UN Security General, Kofi Annan, following accusations that its predecessor, the UN Commission on Human Rights, openly and systematically discriminated against Israel.

But the new body has also passed twelve resolutions condemning Israel over the past few months, especially for its actions in the Palestinian territories.

The ambassador took advantage of Tuesday's session to accuse the council of turning a blind eye to Palestinian terror attacks while focusing primarily on Israel's conduct.

Sources in the Israeli delegation said that Israel would demand a vote on the council's new "procedures package" so that it could vote against it. To date, the Third Committee had always granted unanimous approval to procedure packages.

Israel decided to vote against the package after learning that among the procedures is a special clause referring to "Israel's human rights violations in Palestine and in the occupied Arab territories."

According to the sources, Israel has declined European demands to refrain from disrupting the tradition of granting procedure packages unanimous consent.

Related articles:
  • UN Human Rights Council makes Israel permanent agenda item
  • Ban Ki-moon criticizes UN Human Rights Council for singling Israel out
  • U.S. Senator: UN Human Rights Council focuses only on Israel
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Nazi hunted
    Nazi sheltered by Austria seen enjoying Euro 2008 games.
    Battle of the attitude
    An 'Israeli au pair' seems to be the ultimate oxymoron.
      1.   A doy! 21:55  |  DR 06/11/07
      2.   Israel = Morally Bankrupt 21:58  |  POP 06/11/07
      3.   Israel = Morally Bankrupt 22:09  |  POP 06/11/07
      4.   U.N. human rights council 22:14  |  Judah N. Wenkel 06/11/07
      5.   A Morally Bankrupt Europe Demanding WHAT???? 22:23  |  Eli 06/11/07
      6.   MORALLY BANKRUPT LIKE THE UN ITSELF 22:27  |  C.Loseit 06/11/07
      7.   FARCE 22:50  |  real vision 06/11/07
      8.   charges 22:51  |  realism 06/11/07
      9.   Where Are All the Vultures? O there they are! 22:58  |  Gil 06/11/07
      10.   Gillerman is an immoral person representing an immoral government 22:59  |  Ghandi 06/11/07
      11.   Israel commits the crimes yet its critics are morally bankrupt 23:02  |  Clickfool 06/11/07
      12.   IS EXACTLY WHAT MAKES THEM ANTISEMITES-HITLER ALSO ACCUSED JEWS 23:03  |  Mitch Iginer 06/11/07
      13.   Yes,but Israel bows to the HRC and lets Sderot sink 23:05  |  Absolute Sweden 06/11/07
      14.   Israel`s Typical Argument: "woe is me" 23:05  |  Paulo 06/11/07
      15.   to #4 23:12  |  yossef 06/11/07
      16.   And Israel`s human rights? 23:15  |  leven5 06/11/07
      17.   Better do better than that, Gillerman 23:15  |  Tim 06/11/07
      18.   UNWATCH.com 23:28  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 06/11/07
      19.   Clickypoo- Self-defense is not a crime 23:28  |  Stephen in New York 06/11/07
      20.   Paulo - Israel itself is a refugee camp 23:28  |  David Israel 06/11/07
      21.   leven5 23:30  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 06/11/07
      22.   Leven 5 - The Story of Aviv Has Nothing To Do 23:30  |  Eli 06/11/07
      23.   Israel refuses to cooperate, then complains 23:30  |  Tosefta 06/11/07
      24.   Israel need to stop acting like a victim 23:30  |  Allan 06/11/07
      25.   How dare you accuse Israel? 23:36  |  John 06/11/07
      26.   And How is Your Human Rights Record? 23:37  |  Cool B 06/11/07
      27.   Good speach, very needed, europe will stand with Israel 23:39  |  Johnny 06/11/07
      28.   Too Bad Bolton isn`t Around - Thanks to the Little Phony, Boxer 23:41  |  Tod Zuckerman 06/11/07
      29.   if the 23:50  |  sam i am 06/11/07
      30.   "EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE" EXCEPT TO RACIST ANTISEMITES 23:54  |  ALBERT EINSTEIN 06/11/07
      31.   Paulo from portugal 23:55  |  Johnny 06/11/07
      32.   Allan - Be More Specific, Such As Giving An Example Or Two! 23:58  |  Eli 06/11/07
      33.   Morally bankrupt: Israel`s blind critics on Talkback and at UN 23:59  |  Richard S 06/11/07
      34.   to David Israel,the Pals need a viable state 23:59  |  David 06/11/07
      35.   What would the UNHRC do if Iran nuked TelAviv? NADA 00:00  |  Mitch Iginer 07/11/07
      36.   united nations 00:10  |  xyz t 07/11/07
      37.   David from the LA lA land of cinematic arts 00:18  |  David Israel 07/11/07
      38.   EVERYONE SEES IT BUT ISRAEL 00:20  |  VIPER 07/11/07
      39.   HRs are currently being violated in over 130 countries! 00:21  |  Alicia 07/11/07
      40.   Let`s do a quick review here. 00:22  |  Maki 07/11/07
      41.   UN COMEDY 00:24  |  TOBIA 07/11/07
      42.   #2 Judah N. Wenkel; Human Rights Council is 00:25  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 07/11/07
      43.   UN human rigths- close this office stop funding 00:26  |  Abu Yusuf 07/11/07
      44.   Human what? did I hear Darfur 00:27  |  Ismail 07/11/07
      45.   Another Case of The Pot Calling the Kettle Black 00:27  |  Mr. Knowitall 07/11/07
      46.   A Morally Bankrupt World That Does Not Leave The Jewish 00:29  |  Eli 07/11/07
      47.   An example of Israeli indulgence : anglican padre Tosefta having 00:31  |  Absolute Sweden 07/11/07
      48.   So called trad leffty 00:32  |  Labhras 07/11/07
      49.   @12, paulo please seat in your coco country portugal 00:44  |  vladimir 07/11/07
      50.   Gillerman has no morals.......... 00:45  |  Deborah 07/11/07
      51.   UN HRC : Redefining 00:45  |  Nechama 07/11/07
      52.   # 29 - playing the pity card 00:45  |  Goldberg 07/11/07
      53.   Israel should Boycott the UN 00:46  |  Cuckoo 07/11/07
      54.   Mitch Iginer Just Leave 00:47  |  Francois Cohen 07/11/07
      55.   Tosefta -Dishonest LEFT 00:49  |  17 07/11/07
      56.   POP #1 00:50  |  Nechama 07/11/07
      57.   Abba Eban said it best 00:54  |  Scharker Yid 07/11/07
      58.   And who knows more about moral bankruptcy than Zionists? 00:59  |  peacelover 07/11/07
      59.   Only Human Right Council? The Entire UN a Failure 01:00  |  Jane 07/11/07
      60.   P.S.: What a vile sleazebag Gillerman is 01:01  |  peacelover 07/11/07
      61.   UN Human Rights council was never affluent to begin with 01:03  |  Fortuna Benmayor 07/11/07
      62.   #21 Allen is Right About Israel 01:07  |  Tobia 07/11/07
      63.   He is ABSOLUTELY right about the UN !!! 01:13  |  Jay 07/11/07
      64.   Mitch Iginer, not entirely correct 01:26  |  Jake 07/11/07
      65.   UN Human Rights Council: shameless tool of abusive dictatorships 01:40  |  Briton 07/11/07
      66.   Parsing POP`s pernicious pap 01:56  |  Izik 07/11/07
      67.   POOP= Idiot. 02:08  |  TOMY 07/11/07
      68.   UNHRC 02:11  |  David Salinger 07/11/07
      69.   Israel is the light to the nations,even under 02:16  |  TOMY 07/11/07
      70.   WHO ARE THE JUDGES?????? 02:22  |  TOMY 07/11/07
      71.   Richard S of Toronto 02:26  |  Chris Linthwate