UN Human Rights Council holding special session on Gaza

by Jordan Williams - 05/20/21 9:42 AM ET

The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold a special session on May 27 to address violence in Gaza.

The council said in a statement that its session will address “the grave human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.”

The meeting was organized by Pakistan, who is the coordinator of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the State of Palestine.

The Council said the special session is supported by 63 states so far, including 20 member states. However, this could change because the list of signatories is open until the meeting is held.

Meira Elion Shahar, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, urged member states to “strongly oppose the meeting” on Twitter. calling it “testament to the clear anti-Israel agenda of this body.”

“The convening of yet another Special Session by the Human Rights Council targeting Israel is testament to the clear anti-Israeli agenda of this body,” Shahar tweeted. “The sponsors of this session are only rewarding the actions of Hamas, a terrorist organization, that has indiscriminately launched over 4000 rockets at Israeli civilians, using the people of Gaza as human shields.”

“I call on all member states of the Council to strongly oppose this meeting,” she continued.

The sponsors of this session are only rewarding the actions of Hamas, a terrorist organization, that has indiscriminately launched over 4000 rockets at Israeli civilians, using the people of Gaza as human shields. 2/3

— Meirav Eilon Shahar (@MeiravEShahar) May 20, 2021

I call on all member states of the Council to strongly oppose this meeting. 3/3

— Meirav Eilon Shahar (@MeiravEShahar) May 20, 2021

Over 200 Palestinians have died since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Palestine on May 10, compared with roughly a dozen Israeli citizens.

Local news outlets reported that Israeli airstrikes against Gaza City resumed on Thursday after an eight-hour pause. This comes after President Biden said he wanted to see a “significant de-escalation” in violence in the region.

The Biden administration said in February that it plans to seek election to the Human Rights Council in January 2022. The U.S. under former President Trump left the panel in 2018, citing bias against Israel.