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April 5 (UPI) -- The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for what it called war crimes in Gaza and urged an immediate cease-fire. The vote was 28 to 6, with 13 abstentions. The United States voted no.
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"Draft resolution A/HRC/55/L.30 on the Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice was ADOPTED," the UNHRC said on X.
The resolution laid out detailed reasons Israel should be held accountable for actions during its Gaza military attacks, asserting that, "collective punishment, forcible transfer, targeting of civilians and civilian objects, using starvation as a means of warfare and blocking access to humanitarian aid are war crimes and that incitement to genocide and the commission of genocide and aggression are international crimes."
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the resolution as "anti-Israel" in a statement, noting that the resolution "condemns Israel for the war in Gaza but makes no mention of Hamas or its crimes on Oct. 7."
The ministry also noted that Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva Meirav Eilon Shahar, walked out of the hall in protest.
"The resolutions adopted today are a stain on the United Nations in general and the Human Rights Council in particular. It is a disgrace that the Council adopted a resolution that is unable to even mention Hamas or its brutal terrorist attacks of Oct. 7," Shahar said.
Israel did not directly address the specific alleged war crimes and violations of international law the resolution contained.
The resolution demands that Israel, "end its occupation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, and stresses that all efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be grounded in respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law and relevant United Nations resolutions."
The resolution also said that criticisms of Israel's violation of international law "should not be conflated with anti-Semitism."
It further called for an end to all Israeli policies "of harassment, threats, intimidation and reprisals, detention and expulsion against human rights defenders, journalists, media workers and civil society actors who peacefully advocate for the rights of the Palestinian people."
In addition, the U.N. members called on Israel to "cease its demolitions or plans for demolition that would result in the continued forcible transfer or forced eviction of Palestinians, to facilitate the return of Palestinian families and communities already subjected to forcible transfer or eviction to their original dwellings."
The resolution was adopted a day after President Joe Biden, in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned Israel's killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers, called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and blamed Israel for failing to protect Gaza civilians.
During that call, according to the White House, Biden also made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza would be determined by the U.S. assessment of Israel's immediate actions to take steps to address civilian harm and suffering in Gaza.
Israel seemed to succumb to the U.S. pressure and opened new food corridors into Gaza. Israel also fired two military commanders responsible for ordering the attack that killed seven WCK aid workers.
