BrianGarst.com

One of the chief complaints against the now defunct UN Human Rights Commission was the fact that it was hijacked by anti-Israel Islamists. Over thirty percent of the resolutions condemning specific states ever passed by the Human Rights Commission were directed at Israel. Critics of the “reform” efforts said the new Council appeared to be more of the same. It seems they were right.

The recently-formed council also said it would send a fact-finding mission to investigate the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories.

It will be led by John Dugard, a UN special rapporteur on human rights.

Israel, backed by the US and European countries, has accused the UN council of bias, because it did not also criticise violence perpetrated on the Palestinian side.

On Wednesday, Mr Dugard said Israel was violating the most fundamental norms of humanitarian and human rights law in its actions in Gaza.

Its military operation violated prohibitions on collective punishment, intimidation, while last week’s arrest of officials from the governing Hamas movement appeared to constitute hostage-taking that was prohibited by the Geneva Conventions, Mr Dugard said.

“I am concerned with the law. And here it is clear that Israel is in violation of the most fundamental norms of humanitarian law and human rights law,” he Mr Dugard said.

No word, however, on the Palestinian threats to execute a kidnapped Israeli soldier if Israel didn’t release captured terrorists. That, apparently, does not constitute “hostage-taking”.

The council, like the commission before it, has little concern for Israel’s most fundamental of all rights, the right to exist. Instead, they protect a terrorist government. The UN reforms have failed, it’s as worthless now as ever before.

Israel United Nations