MESSAGE
| DATE | 2017-06-07 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] Human rights and the UN
|
From Politico
Sources: U.S. considers quitting U.N. Human Rights Council
The body has been accused of unfairly targeting Israel, and Trump aides
are questioning its usefulness.
By Nahal Toosi and Eliana Johnson
02/25/2017 08:52 PM EST
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The Trump administration is considering pulling the United States out of
the United Nations Human Rights Council, a body that has been accused of
being biased against Israel and criticized for including abusive
governments, according to two sources in regular contact with former and
current U.S. officials.
No immediate withdrawal is expected ahead of the council’s next session,
which starts Monday, but discussion of abandoning the council is likely
to alarm international activists already worried that the United States
will take a lower profile on global human rights issues under President
Donald Trump.
A final decision on membership in the council would likely involve
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, as well as the U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations, Nikki Haley, and of course the president himself.
A former State Department official briefed on the discussions said while
the council's targeting of Israel is likely part of the debate, there
also are questions about its roster of members and doubts about its
usefulness overall.
Countries known for human rights abuses, such as China and Saudi Arabia,
have managed to snag seats on the 47-member council.
"There’s been a series of requests coming from the secretary of state's
office that suggests that he is questioning the value of the U.S.
belonging to the Human Rights Council," the former official said.
In a recent meeting with mid-level State Department officials, Tillerson
expressed skepticism about the council, which has a number of powers,
including the ability to establish panels that probe alleged human
rights abuses.
Donald Trump is pictured. | Getty
White House
Who's watching Trump's ethics watchdogs?
By Darren Samuelsohn
A spokesman for Haley did not immediately respond to a request for
comment Saturday. White House press aides also did not immediately offer
comment.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner did not address whether U.S.
membership on the council was being reconsidered, but said, "Our
delegation will be fully involved in the work of the HRC session which
starts Monday."
The Human Rights Council was established in 2006. It replaced the U.N.
Human Rights Commission, which had faced severe criticism because
countries with poor rights records became members and prevented it from
carrying out its mission to the fullest.
The Bush administration refused to join the new council, questioning
whether it would be much different. But under President Barack Obama,
the U.S. felt it was more useful to be part of the council and try to
influence it from the inside, including by speaking out in support of
Israel.
Still, supporters of Israel have accused the council of being overly
focused on the Jewish-majority state, by pushing critical resolutions,
for example.
Donald Trump is pictured. | Getty
White House
Who's watching Trump's ethics watchdogs?
By Darren Samuelsohn
Israel had a difficult relationship with the Obama administration, one
that hit a new low late last year after Obama decided not to veto a U.N.
Security Council resolution criticizing Israeli settlement construction.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear he looks
forward to working with Trump, while Haley also has been very public
about America's plans to shield Israel from critics at the United Nations.
The Human Rights Council’s membership is laced with political symbolism.
Last year, Russia lost its seat on the body after a vote by the U.N.
General Assembly, apparently due to international fury over Moscow’s
role in the Syrian conflict.
--
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