The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Twenty-eight countries voted in favour and 13 abstained. However, six countries opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany. The adoption prompted several representatives to the Council to cheer and clap.
The resolution stressed "the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity".
Israel's dismissal
It also expressed "grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory".
Israel dismissed the UN resolution as a "distorted text". Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, accused the Council of having "long abandoned the Israeli people and long defended Hamas".
The UN Human Rights Council, which meets several times a year, is the only intergovernmental body designed to protect human rights worldwide. It can increase scrutiny of countries' human rights records and authorise investigations.
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