Historic First: Israel co-sponsors Saudi resolution at UN Human Rights Council

Although Jerusalem has supported resolutions against Syrian Human Rights violations in the past, including those submitted by Saudi Arabia, Israel has never co-sponsored a resolution with the Saudis.
• Syrian official called out Israel’s co-sponsoring the resolution as demonstrative of secret alliance between Riyadh and the Israelis.

By Itamar Eichner

 

Israel co-sponsored a Saudi resolution against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad at the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday for the first time.

The resolution passed; with 108 countries voting in favor, 17 against and 58 abstaining.Israel has in the past supported similar resolutions, including those submitted by Saudi Arabia, but has never co-sponsored such a resolution alongside Riyadh.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon  דני דנון – Photo: Facebook account

For the first time, the Israeli delegation led by Ambassador Danny Danon co-sponsored the resolution, officially joining Saudi and other countries—including the United States, France and Germany—in submitting the draft resolution to the UN.

The Saudi ambassador began the discussion on the resolution by accusing the Assad regime of the murder of innocent people, condemning “the grave deterioration in the state of human rights in Syria, including indiscriminate killing and intentional attacks against civilians, which caused the death of over 400,000 people, including 17,000 children.”

Children hurt in chemical weapons attack in Idlib (Photo-AFP)

The list of state sponsors was then read out, including Israel, prompting the Syrian ambassador to attack Saudi Arabia.

The Syrian representative congratulated his Saudi counterpart for the fact Israel had joined the list of co-sponsors, saying it was a demonstration of the secret alliance between the two countries.

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said in response that “The Assad regime, with full support from Iran, has been slaughtering its people mercilessly and with incomprehensible cruelty for years. Israel, which for years has been providing humanitarian aid to Syrian civilians hurt by these atrocities, stands together with the international community against this murderous regime.”

 

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https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5043160,00.html