Last Updated on April 5, 2024
The United Nations Human Rights Council met in Geneva on Friday and voted overwhelmingly in favor of an arms embargo against Israel, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to prevent genocide.
The Associated Press reported a tally of 28-6 in favor of the resolution, while 13 of the 47 UNHRC members abstained. Among those who opposed were, of course, the United States and Germany. The other four were the Netherlands, Argentina, Bulgaria and Malawi.
Finland, Luxembourg and Belgium supported the text, while France and Japan abstained, according to the AP.
The “accountability resolution” is not a first for the UNRHC against Israel, as it has in 2018 pressed members not to arm Israel in suspicion of human rights violations, reported The Jerusalem Post. It also noted that the language was “much harsher … against Israel,” which it has viewed as biased text, calling for “all States to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions, and other military equipment to Israel.”
It adds that states should stop “the export, sale or transfer of surveillance goods and technologies and less-lethal weapons, including dual-use times, when they assess that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that such goods … might be used to violate … human rights.”
The Post reported that the text calls for an immediate “ceasefire” in Gaza, accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing,” urging UN members to prevent the forced transfer of the Palestinians from the enclave.
Palestinian ambassador in Geneva, Ibrahim Khraishi, railed against Israel and alluded to the Holocaust, saying, “We were not responsible, but we have been paying the price of what was done during the Second World War.”
The UNHRC remarked on Israeli PR, calling it an “incitement to genocide” and noting Israel’s “legal responsibility to prevent genocide,” reported The Post. It condemned the “targeting of civilians,” including those from the Oct. 7 attack and demanded “the release of all remaining hostages.”
Former President Donald Trump advised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “get it over with” as the information war has not been in Israel’s favor. He said on Hugh Hewitt’s show on Thursday:
Every night, they’re releasing tapes of a building falling down. They shouldn’t be releasing tapes like that. They’re doing, that’s why they’re losing the PR war. They, Israel is absolutely losing the PR war.
The comment comes after multiple precision drone strikes killed several humanitarian aid workers of World Central Kitchen. These civilians were delivering food into Gaza, according to previous reports.
As the heat continues to press against Israel in the campaign against Palestine, US politicians, including New York’s Senator Charles Schumer, a Jewish Democrat, have even condemned Israel’s harsh actions.
According to Gallup, young Americans between 18 and 34 show the biggest decline in favorability towards Israel — from 64% to 38%. However, as the age increases, there is less of a decline.
Trump Firm on Israel Comments, Saying Israeli PR Is Failing
If this continues to trend among the youth, politicians may pause for action, particularly ahead of Election Day. The UNHRC resolution will only add to Israel’s PR troubles, as it seemingly mounts for a one-state solution.
