(National Review) Anne Bayefsky - The credibility of the flagship of UN "reform," the newly created Human Rights Council, sunk during its first session, which ended on June 30. When the Council replaced the discredited Commission on Human Rights, serial human-rights abusers were elected members right from the start. The Council decided that the program for the first session should begin with the "human rights situation in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine." The Council placed criticism of Israel permanently on the agenda of all future sessions when it gave the special investigator on Israel what amounted to a permanent mandate. On its final day, the Council passed just one resolution condemning human-rights violations by any member and directed it at Israel. When it was all over, the Council decided to hold its first special (emergency) session within a few days - on Israel. A decision by the old Commission to hold a special session required a majority vote; at the Council, only one-third of the 47 members are required. The 17 Islamic members alone satisfy the new requirement.
2006-07-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive