New York, NY, July 6, 2006 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said today's vote by the U.N. Human Rights Council on a resolution condemning Israel's operations in Gaza and the West Bank, "predictably blames Israel while giving Hamas a pass."

By a vote of 29-11 with five abstentions, the council approved a resolution proposed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference criticizing Israel's ongoing operations in the territories – in response to the June 25 attack on an Israeli army base in which two soldiers were killed and a third kidnapped – as a violation of international law under the Geneva Conventions.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

Like its predecessor, the new U.N. Human Rights Council predictably blames Israel while giving Hamas a pass.  The resolution takes a fundamentally biased view of the current conflict, portraying Palestinians as the victim while ignoring the terrorist provocations, including the near-daily shelling of Israeli towns, which necessitated the operation in Gaza.

The Hamas-led Palestinian government has a clear choice, but has shown no interest in seeking the unconditional release of the captured Israeli soldier, or in adopting a more moderate stance toward Israel that could lead to normalized relations.  Instead, the Hamas leadership has opted for terrorism and more terrorism, while expressing support for the actions of their 'military' wing.

We had hoped that with the formation of a new Human Rights Council, the U.N. would finally move away from its knee-jerk criticism of Israel and toward a more balanced view of the human rights violations in general, and the Israeli-Palestinian crisis in particular.  Yet this resolution, along with the attempt to establish a permanent agenda item on Israel at every session, shows that this new council is prejudicially weighted against Israel, and tainted with the same anti-Israel baggage of the past.

We commend Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom for voting against the resolution.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.