Following a trend adopted by its discredited predecessor, the U.N.'s new Human Rights Council ended its first-ever "special session" Thursday with a resolution condemning Israel over the crisis in the Gaza Strip.By a vote of 29-11 with five abstentions, the 47-member body passed a resolution demanding that Israel end its military operations in Gaza, expressing concern about the impact the operation was having on Palestinians' humanitarian situation, urging Israel to release detained Palestinian lawmakers and mandating an urgent visit to the area by a U.N. special rapporteur.
The resolution, introduced by the Arab and Islamic blocs, made no specific reference to the factors that triggered Israel's Operation Spring Rain -- Hamas' kidnapping of an Israeli soldier and the firing by Gaza-based terrorists of rockets into Israeli population centers.
The HRC resolution was opposed by Canada, Japan and nine countries in Europe after they failed in attempts to insert balancing language into the text. Japan called the resolution "one-sided and not constructive," while Canada said it was unacceptable that the measure ignored Israel's "legitimate security concerns." "It must also acknowledge that the Palestinian Authority has a responsibility to prevent the constant firing of rockets into Israel, to resolve the present hostage-taking crisis and to prevent the recurrence of further such criminal acts," the Canadian envoy said.