EU supports Israel in Golan at UNHRC as opposition to agenda item 7 grows

The Czech Republic and Britain, however, stood out for their support for Israel in both Palestinian texts, which were approved on Wednesday when the UNHRC in Geneva ended its 46th session.

The resolution against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem was passed by 42-3, with two abstentions. Against Israeli settlements passed 36-3, with eight abstentions, including Austria and Bulgaria. Finally, the resolution condemning Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights, which had the least support, was passed by 26 to 18, with three abstentions. All resolutions were voted on item 7 on the agenda.

“I thank all the countries that have chosen not to lend a hand to this circus and to the systematic discrimination against Israel,” he added.

The United Kingdom, which began a three-year term at the UNHRC this year, has read a blunt statement condemning the 47-member international body for singling out Israel on item 7 on the agenda. This is a mandate of the UNHRC that the alleged violations of Israeli human rights must be discussed at each session. No other country has such a mandate against him.

British envoy Rita French said her country is opposed to all three texts discussed in item 7 of the agenda, including the one that condemns Israeli sovereignty in the Golan.

“Today we are going to vote against these three resolutions as a vote against item 7,” said French.

His country, said French, supports the Palestinian right to self-determination and is opposed to Israeli settlement activity, but is still opposed to resolutions that address these issues because they were presented in item 7. Likewise, said French, Britain believes in legitimate and critical scrutiny of Israeli actions in the West Bank, as long as it did not occur in item 7 of the agenda.

“Our votes today are a vote against the persistent disproportionate focus on Israel and the unjust and implied assumption that Israel’s conduct deserves greater scrutiny than any other country,” said French.

She had problems in particular with the Israeli demolitions of Palestinian structures, tents and game, including in the pastoral village of Humsa, in the Jordan Valley.

Czech envoy Petr Gaidusek, whose country abstained from pro-Palestinian resolutions last year, changed its vote this year and opposed them, also as a statement against agenda item 7.

The European Union and Germany also expressed harsh words in favor of the resolution against Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights, an act they oppose. But they remained with Israel and opposed the condemnation of that sovereignty due to the biased nature of the resolution.

Austrian envoy Ellisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger issued a statement on behalf of the EU, explaining that Israeli sovereignty in the Golan was a “clear violation of international law”.

But the text before them did nothing to resolve the imbalance in a text that speaks of “the suffering of Syrian citizens due to Israeli actions, but nowhere does it mention the suffering caused by the Syrian regime,” she said.

The EU’s suggested amendments to the text have been disregarded, she said.

“The EU cannot support the resolution and the EU member of the UNHRC will vote against it,” she said.

German envoy Michael Frelherr von Ungern-Sternberg said that “although hundreds of thousands of Syrians suffer at the hands of the regime, this text focuses only on Israel”.

PLO Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi said he was surprised that some countries have found that Agenda Item 7 targets Israel, when for years they have accepted the situation.

Instead, he painted the opposition as a remnant of the Trump administration, which Khraishi said he tried to undermine international bodies and mechanisms, such as the UNHRC.

“It is important to overcome this legacy” and strengthen international law, said Khraishi.

Most significantly, the resolutions present issues that should have global support, such as the right to Palestinian determination.

“It is not possible, under any pretext, to vote against or abstain from voting for the right of our Palestinian people to self-determination,” said Khraishi.

Those who are against the settlements must also support the resolutions that condemn them, he said.

“If you want to show partiality under international law and if you want to show the occupying power that it must assume its responsibility according to the law and cease violations,” then Item 7 on the Agenda must be supported, he said.

“This is our land, we are not going to leave our land and we count on our friends to end this occupation one day so that we can fulfill our right to self-determination,” said Khraishi.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Meirav Eilon Shahar Item 7 “was not created to improve the human rights of Palestinians, it was created to deny Israel and institutionalize hatred and prejudice against the only Jewish state.”

As long as item 7 remains on the council’s agenda, “it represents a collective failure to address human rights in a fair and balanced manner,” said Shahar.

“The removal of item 7 will not happen unless states act. It will only be achieved by those who are aware, those who identify not only the hatred that this item encourages, but the deepest and most worrying reason for this institutionalized prejudice and hatred against Israel, “said Shahar.

In addition to the three anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian resolutions passed on Wednesday, an additional anti-Israel resolution was passed on Tuesday.