‘Chronic bias’: U.S. abandons U.N. Human Rights Council
Bob Unruh
6/19/2018
The United States announced Tuesday that it is leaving the United Nations Human Rights Council over its “chronic bias” against Israel.
It is the second U.N. organization that has been found to be faulty, and not to be worth continued involvement, after the U.S. announced just months ago it was leaving the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization over the same issue.
At that time, UNESCO had got too far by going “delusional” and declaring the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron a “Palestinian heritage site.”
Tuesday’s decision regarding the HRC was announced by U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Reuters reported, “Standing with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Haley slammed Russia, China, Cuba and Egypt for thwarting U.S. efforts to reform the council. She also criticized countries which shared U.S. values and encouraged Washington to remain but ‘were unwilling to seriously challenge the status quo.’”
The report revealed the U.S. was half through a three-year term, but the departure provided little surprise, since the Trump administration repeatedly has condemned members for their open bias.
Haley cited Venezuela, China, Cuba and Democratic Republic of Congo, all members of the Human Rights group, for their “appalling disrespect for the most basic rights.”
Then, she added “disproportionate focus and unending hostility” against Israel and anything it does provided the “clear proof” the commission’s agenda is driven by politics, not human rights.
The U.S. had been campaigning for a process to kick out member nations who have their own egregious records on human rights.
Opponents of the Trump administration’s move complained not being in what the administration considers a defective organization would make it harder to pursue human rights.
Far left organizations by the American Civil Liberties Union’s Human Rights Program said it only puts American in an isolated position, but Jewish rights group the Simon Wiesenthal Center not only said the U.S. was right, but other nations should join in.
President George W. Bush refused to have America join when the council was created in 2006 because of similar concerns, but Barack Obama had America join as soon as he could.
It was only weeks ago that consequences appeared for the votes – by 128 U.N. members – to condemn President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
ForeignPolicy.com reported the United States was proposing a sweeping reassessment of foreign aid that would withhold funds from nations that “vote against U.S. policies at the U.N.”
“The move to make foreign aid conditional on political support follows a U.S. decision to cut tens of millions of dollars in assistance to Palestinian refugees, a cut made in retaliation for Palestine’s sponsorship of U.N. resolutions denouncing U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Haley now wants to apply a similar principle to decisions about aid to other needy countries,” the report said.
Haley had said, when Trump made the announcement, in a tweet: “At the U.N. we’re always asked to do more & give more. So, when we make a decision, at the will of the American ppl, abt where to locate OUR embassy, we don’t expect those we’ve helped to target us. On Thurs there’ll be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names.”
The warning followed.
In late 2017, the U.S. dropped out of UNESCO.
President Trump’s administration has been highly critical of the United Nations in general and in particular of its anti-Israel bias. A petition is encouraging Congress and the president to defund the U.N. and expel its headquarters from the U.S.
In July, WND reported a prominent supporter of Israel said the United Nations has turned “delusional.”
Mat Staver, chairman of Liberty Counsel, was responding to UNESCO’s vote to declare the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron a “Palestinian heritage site.”
It was just the latest in a series of actions by the U.N. against Israel, including its move to call the Temple Mount “Islamic.”
“This recent UNESCO resolution is another delusional U.N. decision which disregards the historical truth and the Jewish people’s deep connection to Hebron,” said Staver.
Staver also is president of Christians in Defense of Israel and founder of Covenant Journey, all in support of Israel.
“To refer to Hebron as ‘Islamic’ denies thousands of years of Jewish history as well as Christian ties to the site. The biblical patriarchs Abraham and Isaac, as well as the matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca and Leah are believed to be buried there, and to deny that is another move toward the Palestinian Authority and Hamas renaming the entire land to Palestine and denying Israel’s right to exist,” said Staver.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee adopted a resolution declaring, by a 12-3 vote with six abstentions, the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron a Palestinian heritage site.
The committee already had declared the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem and another location in the “state of Palestine” as similar Islamic heritage sites.
Harold
ACGR's "News with Attitude" 