BICOM

The UK has urged the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to end its biased treatment of Israel and to drop the controversial agenda item singling out the state.

Addressing the opening of the 38th council session, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson criticised the Council’s controversial Agenda Item Seven, a permanent fixture on the schedule exclusively devoted to discussing alleged human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories.

He said that the UK viewed Agenda Item Seven as “disproportionate” and “damaging to the causes of peace,” and threatened to vote against all motions brought under the clause “next year” unless the Council changes its behaviour.

Johnson said: “That does not mean that we in the UK are blind to the value of this council, including the work it could do on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under the right agenda item.”

The US and Israel have long argued for the removal of Agenda Item Seven. There had been speculation that the US would appeal to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and ask that it vote to eliminate it. The US consistently votes against all Agenda Item Seven resolutions, while EU countries tend to abstain.

Last week, Reuters reported that US withdrawal from the UNHRC appeared to be “imminent”, with diplomatic sources saying it was not a matter of if, but when.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein criticised Israel for failing to assist its investigatory officials, including the UNHRC’s special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Michael Lynk.

“I urge Israel to provide access to all human rights mechanisms – including the investigative body mandated last month – to enable impartial monitoring and advance accountability and justice,” said Zeid, who is scheduled to leave his post at the end of August.