23 to 9, UN rights council adopts report accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza
The United Nations Humans Rights Council voted Friday to adopt a report accusing Israel of crimes against humanity for its handling of violent protests on the border with Gaza Strip.
Twenty-three countries voted to in favor of the measure, with nine opposing it. Another 14 countries abstained, while one was absent.
The countries that voted against adopting the report were Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Hungary, Togo and Ukraine.
The decision was condemned by the Foreign Ministry, which claimed that a “moral majority” did not vote in favor of the measure.
“Dictatorships and hypocrites vote in favor of the singling out, absurd pro Hamas pro terror report,” ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon wrote on Twitter.
“We will not cooperate with this mockery and will keep protecting Israel and Israelis,” he added.
Aviva Raz Schecter, the Israeli ambassador to UN institutions in Geneva, said ahead of the vote that the report “was born in sin” and accused it of ignoring the role of the Gaza-ruling Hamas group in the clashes. An Islamist terror organization, Hamas seeks to destroy Israel
“The commission’s report will only serve to encourage Hamas’s use of the civilian population as shields and as a tool in its efforts to attack Israel, and increase the danger to civilians on both sides,” she told the Human Rights Council.
Raz Schechter also defended Israel’s track record of investigating suspicions against Israeli soldiers.
Read More: Times of Israel