British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has joined the United States in calling for the U.N. Human Rights Council to remove Agenda Item 7, which mandates that the council review Israel's conduct at every session.
Israel is the only country with a dedicated agenda item at the Human Rights Council. All other human rights abuses are discussed under Agenda Item 4.
Johnson said that starting next year, Britain would vote against any resolution stemming from discussions of Agenda Item 7.
Addressing the opening of a three-week session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Johnson said, "We share the view that the dedicated Agenda Item 7 focused solely on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is disproportionate and damaging to the cause of peace, and unless things change. we shall vote next year against all resolutions introduced under Item 7."
To date, while the U.K. has largely abstained from voting on resolutions condemning Israel for human rights abuses, it has at times voted in favor of such resolutions.
Johnson has spoken out against those calling for Britain to boycott Israel in the past. During a trip to Israel in 2015, he said, "I cannot think of anything more foolish than to say you want to have any kind of divestment or sanctions or boycott against a country that, when all is said and done, is the only democracy in the region, is the only place that has, in my view, a pluralist open society."
He also downplayed support for a boycott of Israel in Britain, saying boycott supporters were a minority and mainly "lefty academics."
The United States, Australia and a number of European countries have condemned Agenda Item 7 in the past, noting that countries with far worse human rights records, such as Syria, have been spared the same condemnation.
Sources in Washington last week indicated a U.S. withdrawal from the Human Rights Council was imminent after they said talks on how to reform it had failed to meet U.S. demands.
On Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley lamented a U.N. resolution condemning Israel for excessive force in confronting the riots and terrorist activity on the Gaza border as "totally one-sided" and said it "does nothing to advance peace between Israel and the Palestinians."
