The UN Human Rights Council called for an immediate end to all military sales to Israel on Friday, citing allegations of “genocide” in the country’s conflict in Gaza, which has claimed more than 33,000 lives.
The resolution, which was approved with votes from 28 of the 47 council members, including Bangladesh, six against, including the US and Germany, and 13 abstaining, included India and France, was the first time the top rights body of the UN had voiced an opinion on the bloodiest war that has ever been waged in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, denounced the resolution as “a stain for the Human Rights Council and for the UN as a whole”.
The strongly worded text called on countries to “cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel… to prevent further violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights”.
It noted that the International Court of Justice ruled in January “that there is a plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza.
Friday’s resolution, which was brought forward by Pakistan on behalf of all Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states except Albania, also called for “an immediate ceasefire” and “for immediate emergency humanitarian access and assistance”.
