With a simple majority voting rule (50+1) in the UNHRC, 29 out of 30 countries voted for a resolution in Genève called by Navi’ Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Right, to ensure respect of international law in Gaza, by investigating Israeli’s alleged abuses since mid-June in the Gaza Strip.
On one hand, only the United States voted against the resolution championed by Arab nations, but Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird accused the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) of singling out Israel and making no mention of Hamas in its resolution on the Gaza conflict. However, Canada’s opinion doesn’t matter, since it is not a member nation of the Human Rights Council.
The European Union countries abstained from voting declaring that the investigation should be on both sides, especially that Hamas is considered a terrorist group according to many EU resolutions.
On the other hand, the Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riad Malki accused Israel of violating the United Nation’s human rights laws in Gaza.
Here is the list of countries and their voting decision:
In Favor: Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, UAE, Venezuela, Viet Nam.
Abstaining: Austria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Gabon, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Montenegro, Rep of Korea, Rep. Of Macedonia, United Kingdom.
Against: The United States of America.
The Moroccan Times.
