Gaza war
UN Human Rights Council: End arms exports to Israel
The UN Human Rights Council has no way of forcing enforcement of the resolution. photo
© Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone/dpa
With a resolution, the committee in Geneva calls for a stop to arms deliveries to Israel. However, there was no support for this from Germany – why?
The United Nations Human Rights Council has called for an end to arms sales to Israel. This is necessary “to prevent further violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations,” said a resolution passed by the body in Geneva accepted.
Germany voted against the text. It does not mention the Islamist Hamas, denies Israel the right to self-defense and contains prejudgments against Israel, argued German Ambassador Katharina Stasch. In total, six countries rejected the resolution.
How was the vote?
It was supported by 28 countries, including Belgium, Finland and Luxembourg. Thirteen countries abstained, including France and the Netherlands. Human Rights Council resolutions are requests; the committee has no means of forcing its enforcement.
Stasch emphasized in a statement to the Human Rights Council that Israel must protect the Palestinian civilian population and allow aid deliveries in the fight against Hamas. These issues were also addressed in the resolution.
Israel’s Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shakhar strongly condemned the resolution, which makes no mention of the Hamas terror attack. “How many more dead Israelis do we need to condemn Hamas?” asked the diplomat at the Human Rights Council. The resolution does not contain a call for a ban on arms sales to Hamas. “A yes vote is a vote for Hamas,” she said.