On Friday, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
The council is now demanding that all arms sales to Israel be suspended.
A total of 28 of the council’s 47 member states, including South Africa, voted in favor of the resolution.
Six countries, the United States, Germany, Argentina, Bulgaria, Malawi and Paraguay, voted against it, while 13 abstained.
This is the first time that this council takes a position regarding the war between Israel and Hamas.
The resolution, presented by Pakistan on behalf of all member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) except Albania, emphasizes “the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity”.
“We need you all to wake up and stop this genocide, a genocide that is broadcast all over the world,” the Palestinian ambassador, Ibrahim Mohammad Khraishi, told the council before the vote.
However, Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, said a “yes vote” is a “vote for Hamas”.
US Ambassador Michele Taylor agreed that “far too many civilians have been killed in this conflict and that every civilian death is a tragedy”.
She also admitted that “Israel has not done enough to mitigate civilian harm”.
However, Taylor said Washington could not support the resolution as it contained “many problematic elements”, including the failure to specifically condemn Hamas and its October 7 attacks.
‘No further excuses’
Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Israel had “no further excuses” to delay aid in Gaza after the Israeli government announced it would open more aid routes to the Palestinian territory.
“The people in Gaza need every aid package now… We expect the Israeli government to implement its announcements quickly,” Baerbock said on X.
“No further excuses.”
The American president, Joe Biden, said in a tense phone call to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that the American policy on Israel depends on the protection of civilians and aid workers in Gaza.
Hours later, Israel announced that it would open more aid routes.
