Board and JLC accuse government of abandoning principled stance on anti-Israel UN votes
Communal groups 'appalled' by the decision ahead of scheduled votes on Item 7 at the upcoming Human Rights Council sessions
The Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council have announced that Keir Starmer’s government is ready to renege on a position held for some years by the UK of voting against all Item 7 resolutions in the UN Human Rights Council, which “unfairly single out Israel.”
In a joint statement, the two communal groups say they are “appalled” by the decision, ahead of scheduled votes on Item 7 at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council sessions.
The Board and JLC accuse the government of an “inexcusable abandonment of principle” in the same week the UK community is “still reeling” from the Golders Green Hatzola ambulance arson attacks.
Jewish News has contacted the Foreign Office for comment on suggestions the UK has now backtracked on its previous position.
Delivering the UK’s statement at last year’s Human Rights Council session, Ambassador Eleanor Sanders said: “Let me be clear, the UK is opposed to the existence of Item 7.
“The UK wants to see all countries face appropriate scrutiny of their human rights record, but opposes the disproportionate focus of this item.”
Sources have told Jewish News that the UK could now abstain when votes take place on Item 7 at this year’s UN meeting in votes from Sunday.
At meetings between communal groups and UK ministers in recent weeks it is understood there was no mention of any possible change of position in regards to Item 7.
The statement accepts that Israel “like all countries should be held accountable for its human rights record”, but claims the UN has Item 4 with which to hold all countries accountable.
“The notorious Item 7 makes Israel the only country in the world to have its own standing item at the UNHRC,” the JLC and Board add. “For context, flagrant human rights abusers like Russia, North Korea, China and Iran do not have their own agenda items.”
Israel remains the only country with a dedicated, standalone place on the HRC agenda, through the controversial Item 7, which focuses on its human rights record regarding the Palestinians.
Every session of the UN Human Rights Council devotes a special agenda item to the “Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories,” which is defined as covering “Human rights violations and implications of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.”
But responding to the possible shift in stance by the UK, the JLC and Board now add: “The fact that the world’s only Jewish state has its own standing agenda item is a feature of the UN’s institutional antisemitism, and it undermines the credibility of what should be a crucial institution. Importantly, systemic bias in the UN has undermined progressive forces in the Middle East who wish to pursue a secure peace.
“Successive UK governments since 2018 have recognised this fact and on principle, voted against any resolution tabled under Item 7, but given due consideration to any resolution, even with the same text, under Item 4. We have supported this stance.
“For the Jewish community to have any confidence in the Government’s resolve on this issue, the policy of voting against all Item 7 resolutions must be maintained.”
Dame Priti Patel MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary, added:“It’s disgraceful that Labour are ditching the longstanding cross-party commitment to vote against Item 7 resolutions unfairly targeting Israel.
“By abandoning this principle, Labour are surrendering to those who wish to single Israel out for special punishment. Questions will rightly be asked about whether this is an attempt to pander to sectarianism here in Britain.
“Only the Conservatives will stand up for our national interest and back our allies.”
The Labour Friends of Israel group also responded saying:”LFI strongly shares the concerns of Britain’s two leading communal organisations.
“Item 7 breaches the UN principle of equality between states, exemplifying the antisemitism which pervades international institutions. It allows the worst human rights abusers to escape scrutiny.
“And it feeds a dangerous narrative – that the world’s only Jewish state is uniquely deserving of opprobrium – which is driving record levels of antisemitism at home. In this of all weeks, the government must not renege on its commitment to vote against all Item 7 resolutions.”
In 2017, the UK told the Council that the existence of a dedicated agenda item concerning Israel — Item 7 — amounted to systemic institutional bias, and unless things changed, the UK would move to voting against all Item 7 resolutions.
It was for these reasons that in 2017 the UK announced its decision to move to vote against all resolutions under Item 7.
The following year they voted against the accountability resolution as part of the progressive implementation of that commitment.
Then in 2019, the move of the accountability resolution to Item 2 allowed the UK to abstain on that text, and for the remaining resolutions under Item 7, the UK voted against all of them.
Since 2006, the UN Human Rights Council has adopted 112 resolutions against Israel, 45 against Syria, 16 against Iran, 11 against Russia, and 4 against Venezuela.
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