President Trump’s representative to the United Nations declared the Human Rights Council “foolish and unworthy of its name,” after the Friday passage of several resolutions targeting Israel.
“When the Human Rights Council treats Israel worse than North Korea, Iran, and Syria, it is the Council itself that is foolish and unworthy of its name,” Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said Friday afternoon.
The panel approved five resolutions critical of Israel, including one that called for an international arms embargo and another calling for Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights, a strategically significant territory on the border with Syria. The resolutions focused on Israel outnumbered those targeting North Korea, Iran, and Syria combined.
“Many countries agree that the Council’s agenda is grossly biased against Israel, but too few are willing to fight it,” Haley said. “When that happens, as it did today, the Council fails to fulfill its duty to uphold human rights around the world.”
The council did approve one resolution condemning Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime for targeting civilians in a Damascus suburb and for using chemical weapons in his bid to win the civil war. That measure frustrated Russia, which has defended Assad from chemical weapons charges and sought to add language to the resolution that would condemn U.S.-backed militias in Syria.
“The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Syria without taking notice of Russia’s proposals,” as Sputnik, a Russia state-run media outlet, put it.
But Haley’s rebuke amplified the Trump administration’s threat to leave the council, which has long been criticized by U.S. officials for devoting an entire agenda item to allegations of human rights abuses in Israel.
“The United States continues to evaluate our membership in the Human Rights Council,” Haley said. “Our patience is not unlimited. Today’s actions make clear that the organization lacks the credibility needed to be a true advocate for human rights.”
