Lawmakers Threaten Sanctions Against UN Human Rights Council Over Israel Scrutiny
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., said March 31 that they may pursue sanctions if the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) creates a new mechanism to investigate Israel.
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In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the lawmakers said the mechanism, which the council is scheduled to vote on this week, would be “open-ended” and have “special investigatory powers." They believe it is “part of a concerning and insidious anti-Israel trend within the United Nations, specifically as relates to the HRC," including a commission of inquiry the council set up four years ago to examine allegations that Israel violated international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
"This one-sided focus on Israel undermines the legitimate and genuine threat posed by real human rights abusers," the lawmakers wrote. "This includes the Hamas terrorists who continue to hold dozens of hostages like American Edan Alexander" after attacking Israel in October 2023.
The letter warns that HRC member states and UN entities that support the new investigative mechanism could “face the same consequences” as the International Criminal Court, which the U.S. moved to sanction in February for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders (see 2502070022).
Asked to comment on the letter, a UN spokesperson said April 1 that the "issues raised are under the purview" of the HRC and its 47 member states. The council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.