NEW YORK – The United Nations Human Rights Council passed Wednesday a
resolution condemning Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla and
calling for a Goldstone-like inquiry into the deadly military
operation.
During a second bruising day of debate
in Geneva, the 47-member body passed the resolution with a majority
vote of 32. The United States voted against the Palestinian-backed
document and several European countries abstained.
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The resolution accuses Israel of violating international law
and calls for the immediate lifting of Israel’s blockade on Gaza. It
also calls for an independent fact-finding inquiry, similar to one
mandated by the Human Rights Council, which resulted in the Goldstone
report.
Prior to the vote,
nongovernmental organizations addressed the Council. Citing Israel’s
offer to transfer the flotilla’s cargo to Gaza, Hillel Neuer, executive
director of UN Watche, said the flotilla activists and organizers
“wanted to create a political provocation; they were looking for a
physical confrontation.” He also noted the use of metal bars, knives and
guns by activists aboard the ship. “Is this a humanitarian state of
mind?” he asked.
On Tuesday, Israeli ambassador
Leshno Yaar told Council members, “The attack on Israeli soldiers was
beyond all doubt premeditated.” Israeli commandos acting in
self-defense, and Israel was justified, under international law, to
intercept boats breaching its naval blockade.
But Palestinian ambassador,
Imad Zuhairi, told the Council, “Israel
believes it is above the law.”
Earlier Tuesday,
the
UN Security
Council condemned the Israeli military operation during an
emergency
session in New York. The Security Council requested the immediate
release of ships and civilians detained by Israel and called for a
“prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to
international standards.”
Afterward, American
officials said
many questions remain about what happened leading up to, and during, the
Israeli naval raid. But US diplomats expressed full confidence in
Israel to investigate fully. “We think the Israelis are capable of doing
a full investigation,” Alejandro Wolff, US deputy permanent
representative to the UN, told reporters in New York.