Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the US administration for leaving the UN Human Right Council, saying its step was “courageous” in criticizing the council of bias.
Netanyahu thanked, in a statement on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump, Minister Pompeo and Ambassador Nikki Haley for their decision against what he called the “hypocrisy and lies” of the so-called UN Human Rights Council.
He added, according to Al Ray, that the Human Rights Council proves its chronic bias against Israel, claiming that it has betrayed its mission of protecting human rights.
The United States announced, on Tuesday, its leaving the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, which Ambassador Nikki Haley called “an organization that is not worthy of its name.”
The announcement came just a day after U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein denounced the Trump administration for separating migrant children from their parents.
On Twitter, al-Hussein,l-Hussein said it was “Disappointing, if not really surprising, news. Given the state of #HumanRights in today’s world, the US should be stepping up, not stepping back.”
The New York Times stated, in a report, that the move could reinforce the perception that the Trump administration is seeking to advance Israel’s agenda on the world stage, just as it prepares to unveil its long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, despite Palestinian outrage over the embassy relocation. Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, is visiting the Middle East this week, as the White House works to lay the groundwork for unveiling the plan.
Israel is the only country in the world whose rights record comes up for discussion at every council session, under “Item 7” on the agenda. Item 7 on “Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories” has been part of the council’s regular business for almost as long as it has existed.
