UN Human Rights Council Condemns Israel for 'Grave Violations' of Human Rights

Posted by Faiz Shakir, Think Progress at 9:41 AM on January 12, 2009.

The United Nations Human Rights Council condemned Israel today for "grave violations" of human rights of the people of Gaza. The adopted resolution drafted by Arab, Asian, and African countries also called for the urgent dispatch of an international mission to investigate Israeli behavior in the Gaza Strip, and called on Israel to cooperate with it by immediately ending its attacks and withdrawing its military forces from Gaza:

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stressed to told the Council on Friday that international human rights law must apply in all circumstances and at all times, and strongly urged the parties to the conflict "to fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian law to collect, care for and evacuate the wounded and to protect and respect health workers, hospitals, and medical units and ambulances.

"Accountability must be ensured for violations of international law," she said.

The resolution also called for an end to "launching of the crude rockets against Israeli civilians that resulted in the loss of 4 civilian lives" but noted that Israeli attacks had brought some 900 Palestinian deaths and injured around 4,000. Canada cast the only negative vote for the non-binding resolution, which received the support of 33 of the Council's 47 members, while 13 countries abstained.

Update: Yglesias writes that the proposed cease-fire seems to be taking "exactly the shape of a deal that the peace camp has been saying the United States ought to push for since before the fighting started."

Update: Spencer Ackerman highlights the view of Haaretz's editors: "This war needs to move immediately to the diplomatic track and agreements that will end the fantasies and delusions of both sides."