(JPOST ).The United Kingdom became the first Western country with voting rights on the UN Human Rights Council to clearly state that it would not endorse the Goldstone Report or the draft resolution based on that report, which had been placed before the council's two-day special session that opened Thursday in Geneva.
Jurist Richard Goldstone sits next to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay while delivering the report at the session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva on Sept. 29.
"We can not endorse the report and can not vote for the resolution as tabled," the UK told the council on Thursday. It added that it did not consider it necessary to hold a special session on the report.
The council is expected to endorse the resolution. But both Israel and the Palestinians have vied for the support of the Western countries, which are a minority-voting bloc on the council.
It is expected that on Friday, the US will vote against the five-page resolution that endorses the report. The European position is unclear.
Jurist Richard Goldstone sits next to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay while delivering the report at the session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva on Sept. 29.
"We can not endorse the report and can not vote for the resolution as tabled," the UK told the council on Thursday. It added that it did not consider it necessary to hold a special session on the report.
The council is expected to endorse the resolution. But both Israel and the Palestinians have vied for the support of the Western countries, which are a minority-voting bloc on the council.
It is expected that on Friday, the US will vote against the five-page resolution that endorses the report. The European position is unclear.