01 July 2006
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GENEVA, June 30 (Reuters) - Arab and Muslim states on Friday won a decision to keep Israel in the United Nations dock for alleged abuses in the occupied territories, overcoming U.S.-led opposition to singling out the Jewish state. A resolution to put the issue on the agenda of future sessions, brought by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), easily won passage at the U.N. Human Rights Council.
[...] A second OIC resolution, expressing deep concern at an "increasing trend of defamation of religions" and incitement to religious hatred, was also adopted along similar voting lines.
The article reports on who voted for the resolutionsThe vote to examine the situation in the Palestinian territories at future sessions passed with 29 countries in favour, 12 against, five abstentions and one delegation absent. The resolution also called for existing U.N. human rights investigators to report on the situation in the territories at the council's next regular session, set for September. Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria were among the resolution's sponsors. Western countries, including Britain, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan, voted against it.
How can anyone state wth a straight face that the new HR body is an improvement over the old one? Egypt - imprisoning and beating up protestors. Iran - ditto. Syria - sheltering terrorists. And then there is Saudi Arabia who has the cheek to join in a resolution 'expressing deep concern at an "increasing trend of defamation of religions" and incitement to religious hatred' - if the link didn't say Reuters and weren't repeated by AP and co I'd have to assume this was a satire from the Onion or Scappleface.