JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel severed ties with the U.N. Human Rights Council over its investigation of West Bank settlements.
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said it was no longer cooperating with the Geneva-based agency and would block its fact-finding team from the West Bank.
The council voted 36-1, with 10 abstentions, on March 22 to investigate the effects of Jewish settlements on Palestinians. The United States was the lone nay vote.
At the time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted the council for its bias, noting that of its 91 decisions, 39 dealt with Israel, three with Syria and one with Iran.
Israel saw the resolution as part of the Palestinian Authority’s campaign to advance its statehood claim through international bodies, sidestepping stalled peace talks with the Netanyahu government.
