Israel boycotts UN human rights review

Israel refused to attend a UN human rights council review of its performance yesterday. Last May it suspended relations with the body because it announced its intenetion to launch a probe into the effects of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Reuters/Whiteside

 Writing on Tuesday, Peter Splinter of Amnesty International said that by being the only state out of the 193 members ever to have missed this routine review, Israel had “sabotaged the principle of universality”.

Israel’s non-attendance has set off fears among the diplomatic community that other states would do the same in order to avoid UN examination.

Speaking last week, US human rights ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe told reporters that the US had encouraged Israel to attend, in order to present their own viewpoint.

Since boycotting the council last year, Israel has declared that it won’t allow UN investigators on the settlements into Israeli or Israeli-held territory.

The boycott comes as tWednesday’s presentation of the Israeli election results to President Shimon Peres will officially open coalition negotiations, with parties’ positions on the settlements set to form a key issue for the incoming government.