US threatens UN Human Rights Council over Israel

Israel: US threatens Human Rights Council Keystone-SDA

American parliamentarians have threatened the UN Human Rights Council with sanctions similar to those against the International Criminal Court (ICC). Two days after their letter, a resolution against Israel was watered down.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres dated Monday, the chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate opposed an International Investigation Mechanism (IIM) on Israel. Muslim majority countries had proposed this format, which had already been used for Syria and Burma.

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The text voted on Wednesday simply asks the UN General Assembly to “consider” this mechanism. The US warned that “any [UN]HRC member state or UN entity that supports an Israel-specific IIM in any form” will face sanctions like the International Criminal Court (ICC). The US order included visa restrictions and financial sanctions against ICC officials found to have assisted in ICC investigations of U.S. citizens or allies.

Adapted from French by DeepL/ac

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