“It is essential that this council address its chronic anti-Israel bias if it is to have any credibility,” she said last year, adding that it was “hard to accept” that resolutions had been passed against Israel, yet none had been considered for Venezuela, which at the time was witnessing the killing of protesters because of political turmoil. On Tuesday at the State Department, Ms. Haley said that if the council does reform, the U.S. “would be happy to rejoin.” But she said the move was ultimately made “because our commitment does not allow us to remain a part of a hypocritical and self-serving organization that makes a mockery of human rights.” Last week, reports speculated that frenzied behind-the-scenes negotiations to reform the council had failed between diplomats and U.S. officials, suggesting that the Trump administration would pull out.
Washington Times – U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Tuesday that the U.S. is pulling out of the United Nations’ main human rights body because of longstanding complaints the panel is biased against Israel.
“For too long, [the U.N. Human Rights Council] has been a protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias,” Ms. Haley said in announcing the move during a joint appearance at the State Department with Mr. Pompeo.
“Regrettably,” she added, “it is now clear that our call for reform was not heeded.”
The move comes a day after U.N. officials sharply criticized President Trump’s handling of refugee families at the Mexico border.
Tuesday’s withdrawal is unprecedented in the council’s 12-year history. While Libya was kicked out seven years ago, no country has ever dropped out voluntarily. But U.N. observers say they have seen it coming since the Trump administration’s start.
Last year, during her first address to the council, Ms. Haley threatened the pull-out. She cited Washington’s longstanding complaints that the Geneva-based 47-member council was biased against the Jewish state and warned members that the U.S. would leave if they failed to end their systematic scrutiny of alleged Israeli rights abuses against Palestinians.
“It is essential that this council address its chronic anti-Israel bias if it is to have any credibility,” she said last year, adding that it was “hard to accept” that resolutions had been passed against Israel, yet none had been considered for Venezuela, which at the time was witnessing the killing of protesters because of political turmoil.
On Tuesday at the State Department, Ms. Haley said that if the council does reform, the U.S. “would be happy to rejoin.” But she said the move was ultimately made “because our commitment does not allow us to remain a part of a hypocritical and self-serving organization that makes a mockery of human rights.”
Last week, reports speculated that frenzied behind-the-scenes negotiations to reform the council had failed between diplomats and U.S. officials, suggesting that the Trump administration would pull out.
Source: US Government Class
