The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Friday calling for an end to any arms sales to Israel due to its ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip, warning of the possibility of genocide against Palestinians.
This marks the first resolution taken by the council responsible for human rights in the continuous Israeli aggression against our people in Gaza since October 7th of last year.
28 out of the 47 council members voted in favor of the resolution, with six voting against it, including the United States and Germany. Thirteen countries abstained from voting, during the final session of the current session of the Human Rights Council.
The resolution condemns Israel’s use of wide-scale explosive weapons in populated areas in Gaza, calling on Israel, the occupying power, to fulfill its legal responsibility to prevent genocide.
Pakistan presented the resolution on behalf of 55 out of 56 countries in the United Nations grouped in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, except Albania. It also received support from Bolivia, Cuba, and Palestine.
The resolution demanded Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories and immediately stop its illegal blockade of Gaza, as well as any other form of collective punishment.
It called for an end to all transfers of weapons, ammunition, and other military equipment to Israel, citing the impact of explosive weapons on hospitals, schools, shelters, and the supply of water and electricity to Gaza, and condemned the use of starvation of civilians as a war tactic.
The resolution also calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and condemned “Israeli actions that could amount to ethnic cleansing”, urging all relevant countries to prevent forced displacement of Palestinians within Gaza, and demanded Israel to stop expanding its settlements in Palestinian territories.
The resolution urges to ensure that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) receives sufficient funding.
Although the Human Rights Council does not possess any binding means to enforce its resolutions, this resolution increases international isolation of the Israeli occupation and puts more pressure on it to stop its continuous crimes against the Palestinian people, placing ethical obligations on supporting countries.
Source: WAFA
