The tally was 96 in favor, 11 against and 21 abstaining.

Voting against the measure were the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary and, of course, Israel.

"The World Health Organization has, yet again, demonstrated the pervasive double standards within the United Nations which single out Israel for condemnation while absolving the Palestinian authorities of any wrongdoing or responsibility in the territories under their control," said World Jewish Congress president Ronald S. Lauder.

"As in the U.N. General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, the Commission on the Status of Women and other bodies, the World Health Organization has debated only one country-specific resolution at this session, despite scores of conflicted regions where the deterioration of health continues to pose an alarming and pressing threat.

"This resolution, which in its very essence is deeply flawed, does not once mention Hamas or its responsibility for the health crisis in the Gaza Strip and barely mentions the role that the Palestinian Authority plays in caring for its residents, placing the blame disproportionately on Israel," continued Lauder. "It also turns a blind eye to the corruption that abounds within the Palestinian leadership, and the misuse of funds that could and should be devoted to health care and are instead used to reward terrorists for murdering and maiming Israelis."

This article is reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Adama Dieng urged Europe's center-left to do more to oppose a resurgence of xenophobia, alluding to a spreading backlash over an influx of migrants since 2015 that propelled far-right populists into national parliaments across Europe.

"We cannot allow human beings to be treated the way they are being treated. The signs of the '30s are resurfacing," Dieng, a Senegalese lawyer, told a media briefing in Geneva.

"Unless we are blind or of bad faith, we should admit that it's time to stand up, it is time to speak out."

He cited damage done by "powerful states" pulling out of international commitments, and by anti-immigrant politicians in Hungary and Italy. But he also accused left-wingers of playing cynical political games instead of robustly pushing back against the far Right.

He praised three female leaders – Germany's Angela Merkel, Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina and New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern – for taking political risks by standing up for migrants and ethnic minorities.

Dieng also took issue with critical remarks about Muslim burqas made last August by former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, saying the comments had been taken seriously by extremists who assaulted British Muslim women.

"This shows exactly how dangerous it is when someone who is in a position of leadership, who can influence, is using a discourse which can impact terribly on the lives, the security and the safety of human beings."

Dieng was a strong critic of China's Tibet policy in the 1990s when he led the independent International Commission of Jurists. His tenure as the U.N. genocide envoy since 2012 has coincided with a rash of Middle East and African wars and refugee crises, and U.N. genocide inquiries in Iraq and Myanmar.

Asked about growing international condemnation of China's treatment of Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang, where activists say more than 1 million people are being detained, Dieng said he hoped China would let him visit to find out for himself.

"So far … the position of the Chinese is that these are re-education camps, but I will certainly ask to visit and make my own assessment," he said.

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The U.N. refugee agency says it's the fifth such evacuation since 2017, though previous airlifts have taken migrants to Niger and elsewhere.

The group arrived Monday at a Rome military base. Dozens of the asylum-seekers are minors, many of whom are unaccompanied. They hail from Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Ethiopia.

Under anti-migrant Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, Italy has essentially closed its ports to migrants fleeing Libya aboard smugglers boats.

Salvini's deputy, Stefano Candiani, said Monday that such evacuations, in which the U.N. screens asylum-seekers in situ, are the way people deserving of protection should arrive in Europe.

The evacuation comes as officials reported Monday that Libyan forces loyal to a former military commander have intensified their airstrikes on Tripoli, where heavy fighting and blocked roads have left civilians trapped in their homes.

Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter's self-styled Libyan National Army launched an operation to retake the capital on April 4 and has been locked in heavy fighting in and around the city with militias loosely allied with a U.N.-supported government. The clashes have killed at least 345 people, including 22 civilians, according to the latest U.N. figures released last on Sunday.

Libyan officials said LNA airstrikes have targeted the Nawasi Brigade in the Abu Salim district, about 7 kilometers (4 miles) from Tripoli's center. At least four civilians were killed, they said.

They said airstrikes hit al-Qaqaa military camp in the town of al-Falah, south of Tripoli. The camp is controlled by powerful militias from the western town of Misrata that are also allied with the Tripoli government. Airstrikes and shelling also hit the towns of Khallet al-Forjan, Ain Zara and al-Twaisha, south of the capital, and heavy fighting was underway in Salah al-Deen, an area that saw earlier clashes between rival militias in September.

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The rights activist told the Security Council that if the U.N.'s most powerful body cannot prevent the prevalence of sexual violence in wars all over the world, "then at least it must punish it" and make justice a priority.

Clooney, who is married to actor George Clooney, addressed the council along with Nobel Peace Prize laureates Nadia Murad and Dr. Denis Mukwege to spotlight the need to prosecute perpetrators and help survivors.

But the resolution adopted by the council after they spoke was watered down to win approval, and while it made some advances it failed to take the significant actions they urged.

The resolution eliminated long-used language on providing "sexual and reproductive health care" to survivors of rape and abuse to avert a veto from the Trump administration. And it eliminated a positive reference to the International Criminal Court's work in prosecuting alleged perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre told the council after the vote that eliminating the reference to sexual and reproductive health of victims of sexual violence "is unacceptable and undermines the dignity of women."

"We are worried that the threat of veto was used to question 25 years of advances in this area," Delattre said. "It is intolerable and incomprehensible that the Security Council is incapable of acknowledging that these women and girls who suffer from sexual violence in conflict, and who obviously didn't choose to become pregnant, should have the rights to terminate their pregnancy."

The vote on the German-drafted resolution was 13-0, with Russia and China abstaining.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow opposes sexual violence and demands "the elimination of this loathsome war crime." But Russia abstained because the resolution gives new powers to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other U.N. officials and bodies, he said.

The resolution expresses the council's deep concern at "the slow progress" in addressing and eliminating sexual violence in conflicts, declaring that these acts often occur with impunity, "and in some situations have become systematic and widespread, reaching appalling levels of brutality."

It calls for governments to ensure that survivors of sexual violence "receive the care required by their specific needs and without any discrimination." It says victims should have access "to national relief and reparations programs, as well as health care, psycho-social care, safe shelter, livelihood support and legal aid."

German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen said the resolution his nation introduced makes "considerable progress" by concentrating on accountability and survivors and by "putting sanctions much more in the center of actions."

But, he added, "we didn't achieve everything."

Heusgen said Amal Clooney and the two Nobel laureates told him to "push ahead" with the resolution without a reference to "sexual and reproductive rights." He noted the resolution does refer to a 2013 resolution in which those rights are mentioned – and because of that the rights remain international law.

Clooney called the resolution "a welcome step forward" but said "we must go further."

She challenged the Security Council to prosecute Islamic State militants just as the victorious Allies prosecuted Nazi criminals after World War II at the Nuremberg trials.

"This is your Nuremberg moment," she said.

Clooney is the legal counsel to Murad and other members of Syria's Yazidi minority who were sexually abused by IS extremists. She said Murad has spoken of only one fear – that ISIS terrorists "will just shave off their beards and go back to their lives; that there will be no justice."

"Nadia has been given many honors ... but she would trade her Nobel Peace Prize in a heartbeat for what she really wants: the chance to face, in a court of law, those who murdered her mother and her brothers, and those who brutally and repeatedly raped her," Clooney said.

Murad told the council that "so far not a single person was tried for sexual enslavement crimes against Yazidis" and that more than 350,000 Yazidis – 80% of the Yazidi population in Iraq – are still in displacement camps.

"We come to the U.N.," she said. "We deliver statements, but no practical steps are taken that include reconstruction or bringing the perpetrators to justice, or returning the victims and displaced to their homes."

Mukwege, a Congolese doctor who has worked to end the use of rape and sexual violence as weapons of war, said that "victims not only have the right to quality care but also to truth and justice."

"Survivors' testimonies are living proof we cannot remain indifferent to their cries," Mukwege said.

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The council reiterated its endorsement of the Dec. 13 ceasefire agreement between Yemen's government and Houthi Shiite rebels that called for the "phased but rapid mutual withdrawals" of fighters from the key port of Hodeida, two smaller ports in the province, and Hodeida city.

In their statement, council members "noted with concern continued violence that risks undermining the ceasefire in Hodeida."

Hodeida is the main international entry point for 70% of imports and humanitarian aid to Yemen, where nearly four years of war have spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

While the two sides agreed to the redeployment of forces, they have been divided over who will run the port of Hodeida once they pull out. The U.N.-brokered deal reached in Stockholm was vague on that point, saying only that a "local force" would take over without specifying who would lead it.

On a positive note, council members welcomed Monday's announcement by the U.N. envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, that the government and Houthis had reached agreement on the military plan for the initial redeployment of forces from Hodeida. They urged the rival parties to engage with Griffiths and the head of the U.N. operation monitoring the withdrawals "to swiftly agree on local security force arrangements" and on the second phase of the redeployment.

The Security Council also called on both parties "to implement the redeployment plans as soon as possible and not seek to exploit the redeployment process."

The council statement did not single out any party for delaying implementation of the Stockholm agreement. But it reaffirmed "their commitment to monitor the parties' compliance with the redeployment plans."

Council members also called on the parties "to redouble efforts" to finalize arrangements for a prisoner exchange and to establish a coordinating committee in Taiz, where there has been fighting, as called for in the Stockholm agreements.

The council expressed concern about the recent escalation in violence elsewhere in Yemen, notably in Hajjah and on the Yemeni-Saudi border.

The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by the Iranian-backed Houthis. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the internationally recognized government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.

The fighting in the Arab world's poorest country has killed thousands of civilians, left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages, and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

The Security Council reiterated its concern about "the continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation across Yemen."

While the agreements in Stockholm were limited, if fully implemented they could offer a potential breakthrough in the civil war.

Griffiths told the council Monday there must be progress in Hodeida before moving to focus on the political solution.

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The Middle East and North Africa have suffered more than any other region from water scarcity and desertification, problems that are being complicated by climate change, FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva told a meeting of Arab states in Cairo.

In response, they need to modernize irrigation techniques and coordinate water management strategies as a matter of urgency.

The per capita share of freshwater availability in the region is already just 10% of the world average, according to the FAO. Agriculture consumes more than 85% of available resources.

"This is really an emergency problem now," Graziano da Silva told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the conference.

The heads of agriculture and water ministries from some 20 states attended the meeting, aimed at improving coordination between different branches of government that have often failed to work together.

"It's unbelievable that this region does not have good governance on water management and land management," Graziano da Silva told Reuters.

"[In Egypt] they have 32 ministers. Most probably of those 32 ministers, 30 ministers deal with water – water is a problem for them. And they don't have ways to coordinate very efficiently."

Egypt says it has already started working to improve ministerial coordination, for example by reducing rice cultivation to conserve water.

Graziano da Silva said he visited agricultural areas in Egypt's Nile Delta, where farmers still employ centuries-old inundation techniques to irrigate their land.

"This is a waste of water. We need to move urgently to drip irrigation and other techniques that save water," he added.

Graziano da Silva told the conference water scarcity was also displacing rural populations and increasing the region's dependence on cheap, highly processed food imports that were contributing to rising rates of obesity.

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Iran has expanded its missile program, particularly its ballistic missiles, in defiance of opposition from the United States and expressions of concern by European countries. Tehran says the program is purely defensive.

"The Council is … gravely concerned by Iran's ballistic missile activity and calls upon Iran to refrain from these activities," the EU said in a rare joint statement on Iran.

"Iran continues to undertake efforts to increase the range and precision of its missiles, together with increasing the number of tests and operational launches … . These activities deepen mistrust and contribute to regional instability."

Tehran should refrain in particular from any work on missiles designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon, the EU said.

A U.N. Security Council resolution that enshrined Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers called upon Tehran to refrain for up to eight years from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons.

Iran says its missile tests are not in violation of the resolution and denies its missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

In the 12-point statement, the European Union said it was committed to the landmark 2015 accord and welcomed Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments.

However, the bloc also expressed concern at Iran's role in growing Middle East tensions, including support for groups in Lebanon and Syria and Iran's own forces in Syria. In addition, it called on all parties involved in Yemen, including Iran, to work towards ending the conflict there.

The bloc was also critical of Iran's human rights record, highlighting its use of the death penalty and urging it to respect equal rights for women and girls and minorities.

The European Union has adopted a so-called two-track approach aims to Iran. It aims to uphold the nuclear accord with Iran that U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of last May while warning the Islamic republic that the EU can no longer tolerate what it says are Iranian assassination plots on its soil and missile tests.

The Iranian foreign ministry said on Tuesday Iran would never negotiate over its missile program, which it said was defensive and designed as a deterrent.

"Clear threats against the Islamic Republic are not constructive, efficient or helpful, and they are not in line with regional security and the real interests of Europe," the foreign ministry said in a statement published on its website.

"Raising such baseless and hollow accusations while known terrorist and criminal groups are free in Europe, is not constructive at this stage and is in line with the goals of enemies who seek to undermine Iran's relations with Europe."

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The Trump administration pulled the bulk of U.S. funding of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in January after a U.N. General Assembly vote rejected Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump's move, the EU has become UNRWA's largest single donor, Japan had increased its funding, and four Gulf countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates – had contributed $200 million, according to UNRWA chief Pierre Kraehenbuehl.

He told reporters that the U.S. funding cut had made 2018 a very difficult year for UNRWA, which runs schools and clinics for 5.4 million Palestinians across the Middle East, including in Gaza and the West Bank.

It began 2018 with a shortfall of $146 million in its planned budget of $1.2 billion. That ballooned to $446 million after Trump's cutback, forcing Kraehenbuehl to seek new funds from other countries and private sector donors.

"We decided not to sit back and complain but to reach out and launch a global campaign called 'dignity is priceless,' and that really mobilized the international community," he said.

"We have mobilized until now $382 million of additional funding, which means we brought the shortfall down to $64 million, and we are still in contact with a number of countries; we are hopeful that this shortfall will be brought down further in couple of weeks," said Kraehenbuehl.

He added that it was at least good to have a greater geographical spread of donors more representative of the United Nations as a whole. But new donations would have to be stabilized to keep UNRWA funded next year and in future years.

"We're not out of the woods," he said.

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The Golan Heights form a buffer between Israel and Syria of about 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles). Israel seized most of the Golan in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed the territory in 1981, a move that has not been recognized internationally.

The United States has abstained in previous years on the annual "Occupied Syrian Golan" resolution, which declares Israel's decision to impose its jurisdiction in the area "null and void", but Washington's U.N. envoy Nikki Haley said it would vote against the resolution in Friday's vote.

"The United States will no longer abstain when the United Nations engages in its useless annual vote on the Golan Heights," she said in a statement on Thursday.

"The resolution is plainly biased against Israel. Further, the atrocities the Syrian regime continues to commit prove its lack of fitness to govern anyone."

Her comments came after U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said in September that he expected Israel to keep the Golan Heights in perpetuity, in an apparent nod towards its claim of sovereignty over the territory.

Since early in Donald Trump's presidency, Israel has lobbied for formal U.S. endorsement of its control of the Golan. Trump has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, breaking with other world powers, though U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said in August a similar Golan move was not under discussion.

Israeli officials praised the U.S. move.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called it was "extremely important," Tweeting, "No sane person can believe that it [the Golan] should be given to Assad and Iran."

Tehran has supported Assad during the civil war and Israel has been warning against Iranian military entrenchment in Syria.

Israel has closely monitored the fighting in Syria, where just across the Golan frontier battles have raged in clear view.

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Haley said in a statement that the opening "will allow U.N. peacekeepers to step up their efforts to prevent hostilities in the Golan Heights region."

The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force has been monitoring operations in a demilitarized zone established in 1974 between the Israeli Golan and the Syrian sector, but the peacekeeping mission was disrupted by Syria's civil war.

"We look to both Israel and Syria to provide U.N. peacekeepers the access they need as well as assurances of their safety. We also call on Syria to take the necessary steps so UNDOF can safely and effectively deploy and patrol without interference," Haley said.

Military police from Russia, a major ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, have been patrolling on the Syrian side of Quneitra.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited the Israeli side of the crossing on Sept. 27. He said then that in the past, traffic through Quneitra mainly comprised shipments into Syria of apples grown by Druze farmers on the Israeli Golan – and the entry of brides for partners on both sides of the armistice line.

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